Batman Beyond - Last Calm Nights
by SolidWriter
Summary: Set after the events of "Return of the Joker". A strange decline in criminal activity only serves as a food for superstition and fear of massive criminal backlash. With Gotham being relatively quiet, Terry McGinnis had to make choices that fate decided to throw upon him...and decide the fate of many others. Those are the last calm Gotham nights. Rated M for mature content.
1. Vespertilio

**Hello there, you probably should read this a bit before venturing forth.**

 **For some not-so-many-people-that-followed me - thank you for long waiting. And sorry that this is not the continuation of Ascension series. It probably will be continued later.**

 **For newcomers - thank you in advance, and if you want to read my other work, please do check the Ascension series. It's probably not bad.**

 **Now, I need to clarify some things before we venture inside my world of imagination - I really love Batman Beyond series. As a kid, I was watching it every day after school along with Extreme Ghostbusters, so my childhood was rad. And sometime ago I decided to rewatch the series in one seat...and sometime after that I started to have some...ideas. Those ideas led me to comic issues...and I got a little disappointed by the plot in many areas. And suddenly, I was hit by the idea that wasn't so easy to drove away...that idea lies in this very chapter. Just one idea out of the many I plotted and hid inside.**

 **I hope I will have enough time and inspiration to work on it, since I am also writing an original series of my own, which is quite difficult task.**

 **Oh. Two more thing. First, my worst adversaries - the typos - are back. Since English is not my primary language (but I am trying my best to make it one) I tend to make mistakes even after re-reading and redacting. I hope you will forgive me. Second - the style I wrote. People that read my Ascension series know that I tend to write in the style of common literature (especially in style of Russian literature), so I will not change the direct and indirect speech to those - "" - things. My apologies for the inconvenience.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

...how long was it? How long was this rusted ceiling being here? How long those echoing sounds of water dripping from the sink have tried to...to what?...awoke, but...awoke who? The thoughts...they are not so easy to collect, and this strange feeling, sensation of numbness...it's not right. Something is not right, but what?

This place is somehow familiar. The rusted ceiling made of plasteel panels, old machinery of some sorts that was silently humming, flickering light-bulb hanging on the wire...broken bottles, syringes, teared down wrappings of...chemicals? Yes, the chemicals, they were important, that was the memory saying - those chemicals were important to...live?...no, not live - survive, they were needed to survive, to...stabilize, yes, stabilize the...

The sudden urge to say something was in vain - instead of words came pathetic dry growl. Doesn't matter right now, better start moving to somewhere, to do something...the movement was also hard to do, almost impossible - the body was not moving at all, and come to think of it, the head was not moving also, it held itself in static manner...and the whole perspective, if you think about it too, was weird, like the whole room was observed from the higher position...wait, the footsteps, they were coming too close to this room. The instincts were kicking in, warning about at least four men and there was the idea, the...motion to get as far away as possible and stay within the shadows. It was hard to do, especially when the body was defying any movement, but at least the sudden urge and fear made it move like a slug somewhere backwards. The next thing to do was to stay still, and that was the easiest part.

The door slowly opened, just enough to let small round drone let inside the room before someone closed the door behind the drone. It was of boring white and black color, with some sort of a number and insignia on it, and maybe the number was useless, the insignia sparked something inside, something...terrible...hated. The instincts, though, were still in charge, telling about being completely motionless while drone was scanning the area for a whole minute, which felt like an hour. When drone finished scanning, the door opened, letting four armed men inside the room. Something inside was talking about how they are decent at combat, but nowhere near the true professionals when it comes to it. But the instincts were also admitting how carefully they went inside the room - checking corners, leaving one man at the door and alway keeping eye contact with each other...at least most of the times. The uniform on those armed men was also black and white, with armored pads and helmets, but most importantly were the shocking four letters on back of those men.

GCPD. Gotham City Police Department. They even had a number of precinct and their own ID, but those things were irrelevant compared to revelation those four words just led to. First - it was Gotham...again?...yes, it again, Gotham felt like something that was smelling of...failure, regret, rage...loss?...

\- All clear, - the sudden chatter broke the thoughts, but for the best - the GCPD were inside the room still, searching every corner but not touching anything, - Looks like someone was here a while ago - those machines are still running hot.

\- At least the lead was right this time...I am calling lab, keep this area clear - reports were showing high criminal activity in the area, - one of the man, who probably was in charge, walked outside of the room, trying to contact the precinct HQ, - You two stay here.

\- Roger.

Something inside was telling that the idea of waiting for lab group to come in was a terrible one. And leaving any trace would be a bad thing too...but what to do? The body moved a little, the shadows were helping to be undetected for now, though the light-bulb could give away the position...if only there was a way to cut it or smash it...but maybe there is, it's just the matter of vision. Slowly, gently...when the officers are not seeing...yes, that's it, the vision is turning, but why the head is not feeling like...head? Questions for later, that's too damn many of them to deal right now.

The light-bulb was the first problem to deal with, the light itself felt like a threat, and it must be dealt quickly...there was a knife, on the floor, and the hiding place was, in fact, a refrigerator of some sort, an old one and pretty big. The knife was covered already in some dust and leftover traces, along with some sort of black goo dots on it. If only there was a way to reach that knife, to just extend the hand, and...and to see that something was extending towards the knife. A black and darkish-blue smooth tentacle slowly started to crawl down, but it was hard to control and maintain - it took a lot of focus to just hold it together, but it was shaking and dripping the same goo, that was on the knife. Slowly, the tentacle crawled itself around the knife's handle, and now the real torment began - the whole process of lifting a knife felt like lifting a hundred kilo rock with only little fingers. The goo was dripping even more actively, and the pain was something that was unexpected from the numb body - it was not the sharp pain that came and went, it was prolonged one, that slowly grew over time. The desire to scream, to just let out all that pain was insane, but the instincts were holding that scream for now - the cops were still here, and they were a threat. Slowly, gently, the knife went to the hiding place without a sound, and with the knife came rest and satisfaction. It took a lot of time to just start thinking again, and even more time to star moving around to see, what could be done with that knife. The most obvious choice was to smash the light-bulb with it, somehow there was an assurance inside that this will work...on the other hand, the window was open, and judging by the angle and the scenery, the room was a bit underground somewhere in old factorial zone, maybe chemical plant. What to do, what to do...

The sudden thought sparked with a pleasant shock all over the body - the knife was nearby, and the chemicals on it were so...delicious. Even a small portion of it already made the body stronger, the thoughts clearer, so it was obvious to devour the knife and leave nothing of those chemicals on it. With that, another thought appeared - the knife was used to prepare strong chemical...something, and it was...inside the refrigerator...one of the bottles, the other bottle was...used, yes, it was used and now it lied broken on the floor. Now the plan was a little bit harder than minutes ago - get inside the refrigerator, get the...whatever was cooked, and use it. But the refrigerator was closed, and the tentacle that tried to poke around couldn't find any entry point, beside the one that was for electricity and cryotube, but those options are off the table. The only thing that could be done is a good distraction...something that would last long enough to open the refrigerator, search it for second bottle, drink it and escape. Preferably outside.

The plan was simple enough to not fail right at the start, but after a short chat with the inner self, the plans was improved in several areas. Gathering all the strength, the tentacles lifted slowly the knife into the air, aiming right at the light-bulb. Moving it back and forth to feel the momentum, the weight of the knife and to calculate the trajectory, black tentacles suddenly stopped, moved backwards and threw the knight into the light-bulb, smashing it small pieces. The cops, of course, were startled, reaching for their laser pistols and turning on the shoulder lamps:

\- What was it?

\- Something came probably from the window, not sure how and why.

\- One at the window, look for intruders, and you - search for whatever came here, fast - it could be a grenade.

Good. One cop at the window, peeking right from the corner opposite of refrigerator, the other one looking for the object that hit light-bulb, another two guarding the exit of the room. Their shoulder-lamps, of course, are nasty...but here is the thing - turns out, the tentacles and a whole body can move now! Even if for a little bit, it was still a victory. Slithering down across the back of the refrigerator, the body now moved inside the crack in the wall to the other side, slowly emerging from a tiny hole, right under the legs of a cop who stood on watch duty beside window. Now was the most important and tricky part...slithering down was easy, but how about jumping up? It took some time to amass the tentacles under the main body and aim it right. With a short breath to keep fear at bay, the tentacles launched body right at the cop's face. Quickly covering mouth and nose to prevent breathing and screaming, the cop was startled at first, but quickly panicked as his vision started to fade. Of course he wasn't standing around like an idiot - he tried to pull the body from his face, even smashed itself on the wall while his muffled screams were still heard in the room. The other three cops quickly armed:

\- What the!?...Surround him, intensify the light! You, cover the doors, keep the light pointed to our back at all times!...damn it, catch him!

And catching he needed - when cop finally finished struggling and fell limp on the floor, the body quickly moved away, slithering across the machines and inside the cracks in the walls. One down - three to go, and it need to happen fast when the first one was unconscious. Reaching the exit point, the tentacles quickly helped to climb along the wall, from where another attack was performed - jump, close the nose and mouth, wait for a while and move on. This time it went better - the cop shot his laser pistol right into the room, hitting one of the other cops right into the body armor, and this little incident provided valuable time to finish the task. Killing the cops wasn't an option now, as instinct kept telling over and over, because it will attract unwanted attention. Rendering them senseless, on the other hand...

\- Man down! Man down! - the officer dragged his wounded comrade to the cover, trying to get the GCPD on a radiolink, while covering the only entrance to the room, - One wounded, two unconscious, attacker is unknown...we don't have five minutes!...I'll try to patch him up.

That's true - you do not. Even more - your wounded comrade doesn't have much time, judging how he is swearing right now through the growls of pain. Quickly slithering up to the ceiling and through the cracks in it, the body moved fast along the wires to the room, peeking through the hole from which the wire of broken light-bulb dangled. From the look of it, the officer tried to help with the wound - the armor stopped most of the damage, but the flesh was burnt a lot. Of course it would be a nice opportunity to attack the officer, while he is at it...but something inside talked about another solution - wait for it and only when the cop is patched up attack the officer.

And that's what happened. When the officer stopped helping the wounded cop, the body launched itself with such speed that officer fell down, bumping on the floor and trying to struggle. The wounded cop tried to get a weapons steady, but he wasn't even understanding what actually was happening...and before that, he shared the same fate with other cops - violently put into sleep for a while.

When the struggle was finished, only radio-chatter from operator was heard, and that meant one thing - more cops will arrive, and much sooner than it would seem. Quickly jumping to the fridge and opening it, the body suddenly fell down into a squishy dropping mess. All that jumping around put too much strain to the whole body, but it was worth it - inside the refrigerator were lots of bottles with dark liquid inside it. There was no time to be careful - one by one, the tentacle reached out for the bottles and dropped them on the floor, absorbing the liquid. With each liquid consumed it felt like strength was coming back, and when the last bottle was drained dry, the body now was standing tall. Quickly searching the room, the body consumed every last drop of black goo, leaving no evidence, and on the way to exit it smashed the drone to pieces, especially storage devices. The vision got much better, and the body quickly found the grate, leading to sewers. Carefully opening the grate and moving it to the side, the body closed it firmly and started to move along narrow long corridors. Following the corridor, another thought suggested to listen to the sound of water and get to it, but not too close. Somehow, the word "water" equally meant "pain" and "death", and going along the source of death would be not the smartest idea...but probably the only one.

How long was it? Probably half an hour, or maybe whole hour of just walking along the empty maintenance corridors, with only one thought in mind - reach the water, reach the water, reach...the water...the body shook from the sudden pain, and it took several minutes staring blindly just to realize and accept a thought, that would seem crazy for ordinary man - the water already killed...her. This realization was even more insane, but the sounds of water flowing just around the corner revived a lot of memories - the dam...the rain...the...daughter?...but why remembering the daughter is so...painful? And why there is some else, something...sinister, something annoying?...riddled with questions, she slowly walked along the wall, until she reached the underground water refinery plant. Approaching towards one of the open water tanks, while trying to not fell inside one, she gazed in the reflection to see something hideous, deformed, black as night and with head that had no face at all...no, there was a face, at least once, and maybe she can make it appear. It took a lot of attempts - the faces that were shaped were hilarious at best and horrifying at most, but after long concentration she finally made it appear.

Her own face...black lips, wide-open eyes with no pupils, a long hair with the tone of the body...but the skin color was like...

\- Inque.

The words came from the weak voice, to her own surprise, but that wasn't the end of all surprises. With that simple word the memories started coming in - slowly at first, but speeding up like an avalanche.

Immigration. Poverty. Hopeless future, painful present...daughter...the experiment...that enslaved her for a long time...the police, that took her daughter away...taking the dirty work to make money for one person, she cared about...only to be...

\- ...betrayed, - she let out there words escape from her mouth, breathing heavily and staring at her own reflection, - Betrayed...betrayed..., - with the rage building inside her, Inque felt her body tensed second by second, before she let out her rage with a cry and a kick to the wall, shattering it. She kept kicking it, and with each hit she cried of anger and hopelessness.

But when her anger was suppressed, she remembered another part of the story - how she was captured...doing the same thing, she did years and years, only that last time...why she even did that? Why? Out of greed? Because she can't do anything else? As anger slowly was changed by despair, she slid across the wall, covering her face in her hands and silently crying. She remembered another things - her escape from Justice League, how she became unstable because of all the damage she endured during escape, how she stole the chemicals from all places and tried to find the needed solution...in the end, she had to discard most of the mass of her body and...yes, she hibernated, waiting for the her salvation...wait, that's not it, she...

\- ...oh God, - the sudden realization hit her like a truck at fullspeed. The chemicals were not ready, because she just remembered - there was a timer lid on every bottle, and it showed that they needed at least several more days to be complete.

That means...that she need to do that all over again, just to survive, and to do that fast, without alarming anyone, while she is not at full strength. Maybe she can find another place, steal some more money and components, that won't be a problem now, especially when she has been restored to some degree by herself. So, all you need to do, is to get all your money from your daughter, maybe give her a lesson about betraying hardworking parent, and raid a chemical warehouse or two, get some connections, find a someone smart in chemistry science, maybe kidnap him and...

\- ...no, - she quickly shut herself, - No, no, no! No more of that...No more! - she angrily stood up trying to turn her tentacles into hands, only to no avail, - Look at yourself! Look! You made same mistakes, over and over, because you want it the easy way! And what do you got, this?! - she approached the water tank, pointing her tentacle at her own reflection, - Everyone is using you, and others who do not use you - the cops, the Interpol, the Justice League - everyone are after you!...especially...Batman, - she slowly lowered her tentacle, looking at her reflection with a dumb-folded look, - ...especially him...but he is not that prideful arrogant prick, like other's...and he has someone he speaks to, a wise person..., - she paused for a while, trying to collect her thought into a plan, and several seconds after she quickly continued, - Turn to him, get him to help you...he must have the resources or connections, he must have to afford himself all that fancy stuff...though he is not a fast learner, - she muttered touchily before continuing talking to herself, - Stay out of sight, find the information about what happened in the world...and check on your daughter, - the last words were heavy to say, so she quickly continued - But don't get anywhere near her and her money...despite how you feel, she is still everything you have left...remember that. Now, go on and find Batman. If he won't help...than no one can.

* * *

The Gotham City proudly stood with it's almost endless skyscrapers and marco-complexes, being the shiny gem of the advanced age of technology. Flying vehicles, robotic assistants, automatic factories and systems, neon signs of the clubs and cinema centers...but it was the good side of the Gotham. The other side was a curse, that was plagued this city from time immemorial - the criminal activities. Robbery, shoot-outs, killers, psychopaths, gang wars, drug cartels - you named it, and it will be in Gotham. The GCPD, while equipped with the new technology, lacks the manpower to deal with everything that Gotham throws every single day at peaceful citizens. But, of course, the other problem is the law system, which sometimes works, sometimes - not, and the yet another problem is the favorite problem of humanity in any time period - bureaucracy. Many people say it needed to bring system to the law enforcement, but there is one particular...individual, who doesn't follow those principles. Or even a legend, that became a myth only to rise again in time of need for those, who had no hope in their live. A myth, that comes at night to fight corporations, cults, gangs and dangerous individuals when no one else can.

That myth right now was driving a Batmobile - a piece of art flying vehicle, that probably has a big collection of fines to be paid for parking in wrong placed and general behavior of violating the transportation law - and that myth had a conversation that did not had any mythical in it's nature:

\- So...how are you doing? - it was Max on the radiolink, with whom new Batman could share what was on his mind.

\- Considering everything - great. All I need is a massive Arkham breakout to be happy.

\- Terry, I am serious about it, and you do not, - replied Max wearily.

\- That's obvious.

\- You are straying away from the question~

\- ...sorry, I just...it never easy, you know that? - he sighed slightly, - And maybe we will talk about it, Max, but not right now.

\- No pushing here, but I got your word, McGinnis.

\- I am counting on you to remind me that later.

\- ...oops.

\- Oops? - Terry raised his eyebrow at that sudden response, - Max, don't tell me...

\- ...I forgot to tell you about math test that will be on next Monday.

\- You have a talent to lift my spirit, - sighed Terry, when suddenly Batmobile picked up a signal from nearby restaurant. The sensors automatically zoomed in, revealing five men in masks and bland cloth, surrounding one old man. Judging by poses and gestures, it was something intense, - ...wait, something is happening.

\- What?

\- Night-time story from grandpa.

Batmobile dropped Batman from the hatch-pod, and he quickly engaged optical camo system while gliding down, towards the restaurant platfrom. Silently dropping on the platfrom, Terry quickly crouched towards the group, hearing the conversation:

\- ...give me at least thirty percent! - it was the old man, who was forcefully dropped on his knees and was held by one brute by the shoulders, - I can't pay you forty, I will broke!

\- Look, grandpa, it's simple math - if you will pay us fifty, you will get other fifty, no profit for you, no money for the boss, - one of the men sit in front of the "grandpa", taking out retractable baton and slowly patting it on old man's knee, - But you get sixty, ten percent more than you need to make profit! Our boss sees it as a...good compromise. The other option, however, is to break your knees and visit you later with sixty percent offer, - old man started to shake and gone pale as criminal kept bumping the end of the retractable baton to his knee, - And if you refuse that offer, we break your arms, and will charge seventy percent in the visit after that.

\- You should've been this persistent at school.

The first batarang ran into the nosebridge of a brute, who quickly fell down on his back unconscious. Quickly charging in, Batman took another brute with two strikes - foot to the knee and his own knee to the chest. Other three rushed in to attack, relentlessly overpowering Terry with a quick strikes of their batons and pushing him towards the edge of the platform. In one moment, though, he managed to grab one of the batons and deliver a quick strike to the head to one of the racketeers. The other one managed to sidestep, while Terry was distracted, and got his hands from behind, pushing them down and trying to get Terry on his knees. Seeing the incoming strike of the baton, Batman lowered his head just in time and used the position to throw the thug over himself, right into the another attacker. The result was beautiful - one table and several chairs were in pieces, but it was a small price for several seconds of pause. Terry used them wisely, quickly handcuffing both of the racketeers. The same procedure went for other men, and soon enough all five racketeers were on the floor with faces down and unmasked.

\- Sorry for the mess, - he threw a gesture to his back, pointing at broken table and chairs, - Are you alright?

\- T-thats fine, B-Batman..thank you, but, I am afraid, they will come back...just in several month.

\- First time in Gotham? - he asked, while picking out the one racketeer, who was the talkative one.

\- Y-Yes...moved from the Canada, the local government helped a little with choosing the place...but I never thought that such criminals would be so bald and aggressive, - the old man was sweating and he was trying to get his bearings after the initial shock, - Such questions in my country were discussed by the table with the respect for each other...and reasonable percentage.

\- ...you are knew on the street, - he finally found the one, who was talking with the old man. A typical portrait - man in his thirties, with a hardened look, which was not so hardened anymore. Terry lifted him in the air, staring right into his eyes, - Guess you don't have a name for a gang even, because only idiots shaking restaurants for forty percents a month.

\- L-look, we are really new, but who cares? We gonna walk out in, what, six month? We didn't even hurt the old man of the furniture, that's what you di!...

\- Next time there will be no restaurant for me to hold back, and next time you will stop at hospital for some years before prison. That clear? - Terry was still training in his "Batman talk", but he had his own style - in some manners similar to original Batman, in some - quite different.

\- ...y-yeah, c-clear.

\- And I have an advice for you, - Terry let out the racketeer, turning towards the old man, while quickly looking at the restaurant sign and pushing the right button to recall the Batmobile, - ...talk to Maroni family, they love that business, so they will charge you five percent with a protection goon enough, to throw those amateurs before they even think about it...the police will be soon, so sit tight.

\- T-thanks, Batman!

Silently noding, Terry charged towards the end of the platform, where Batmobile was slowly descending. Jumping on the vehicle, Terry got inside vehicle and dashed away, while police flying cars were moving from the opposite direction.

\- ...So...what was that all about? - Max connected again, immediately asking how another "adventure" went.

\- Amateur racketeers from Moron-City. Tried to push old man with new restaurant to pay forty percent. Told him to visit Maroni.

\- Why?

\- You have to compromise something when you do...the Batman stuff, - sighed McGinnis wearily, - The first thing we both learned, is that racketeers will be always there, no matter how hard you will press them. It's about picking less greedy and most adequate one.

\- So you send this old man to Maroni, because it's the lesser option?

\- Either that, or some amateurs like that from today will come, charging forty percent and being total nutheads..., - he paused for a bit, sighing again, - It's not ideal choice, but you have to learn how to make most of it...that's his words, yeah, and nights like this help me understand what he is trying to tell me.

\- ...you know, Maroni is not a bad choice, if you think of it. What was the shop that old man was holding?

\- Restaurant, with Italian kitchen.

\- Even better. They can have those crazy Italian weddings and mafia ceremonies, like in those old stories!

\- You know, Max, no one does that anymore. Times changed...by the way, if you want to be the eye in sky, you need to learn few things about groundwork.

\- Like the old time that old man used me? - grumbled Max annoyingly.

\- ...a little bit safer. Get on the videolink and be quiet.

The outskirts of Gotham City were still a good place to be, but the living on main levels of this mega-city was...difficult. Many poor or outright homeless people were here, living in a dark places with the shining neon above them. Same places were inside the main city with the building and even streets of the old Gotham before renovation. Streets and poverty like that were the reason for crime to thrive...but there were also other people who thrived there. Terry found a street and quickly jumped down from the Batmobile, looking around. Since it was already night, there were not so many people around here, but even in daytime you couldn't find anyone on the street, outside of the hobo's and gangs. The streets were clean, to some degree - the locals were trying to deal with the trash by themselves. Walking towards the makeshift camp of homeless people, Terry always was on the watch around here - the police rarely patrolled such areas, and the criminal activity here was even higher than in upper levels. The most, probably, horrifying thing about it was the absence of knowledge of such criminal activities.

\- Batman, you came sooner, that I expected, - he heard a voice, coming from makeshift tent. Inside the tent was an old man, who was slightly smiling into his beard. Terry never knew name's true name, because he kept calling himself Ears, - Calm night?

\- Pretty much, - he replied, looking around the camp, - How's everybody hanging?

\- Same. Sure, some attention and pressure helps - we will get some small flats in upper level soon...guess someone pressed the mayor's office? - Ears smiled again, looking closely at Batman.

\- Yeah, they were not so happy about possible leak of their corruption activity, - Terry crossed his hand on his chest, turning the attention towards the Ears, - How are you?

\- You always so worried about everybody, Batman...and to see that this is genuine makes my old heart warm, - Ears found his flask with the water and drank a little sip before continuing, - I will be fine while you are staying the same, that's for sure...but you are here to knew something I picked on the street.

\- Yeah. As always. What's gonna happen?

\- Nothing too major...at least in next three days, but! - Ears raised his forefinger, - There was a robbery a week ago, a whole train of private corporative munitions derailed due to sabotage. And, lucky we, somehow no one was guarding that train for at least an hour after it derailed.

\- ...go on. The weapons went to the black market?

\- And sold like a hot pies. Plasma casters, laser rifles, grenades, some high-tech science mambo-jambo, that sorta stuff...of course it's deeply underground, and secretive, but there are always idiots who can't keep their mouth shut, - Ears smiled again, now sarcastically, - So, one of those idiots was talking about with another idiot about raiding the mansion of a rich girl.

\- What was her name?

\- Let me...ehm...let me find the notes, - Ears quickly started to search around his tent. Soon enough he found an old notebook and put on his glasses, listing the pages, - No, no, not that...a! That's it, her name is Deanna Clay...you know her? - Ears glanced at Terry, because hearing that name made him tense and he clenched his fists.

\- Yes. Wish I hadn't...when they are preparing the attack?

\- Somewhere next week, they were talking about security systems, remote access to global network and other stuff. And before you ask - no, nothing else came up recently.

\- Thanks...stay safe, alright?

\- Will do, Batman, - Ears saluted Batman in joking manner before he left the camp.

\- ...that name actually rings a bell, - said Max thoughtfully.

\- It's Inque's daughter, - Terry responded wryly, while jumping inside the Batmobile and taking off, - I was wandering where Inque was after she escaped from Justice League several month ago.

\- You think she was behind the train wreck and those thugs?

\- ...no, she is the one who prefers do it personally...she wasn't behind the train wreck to get weapons to black market and only than arm the mercenaries to do the job. She would either buy the mercenaries, or, as I said, do it herself...anyway, now I need to baby-sit her daughter because she made a move on Inque, that pissed her off.

\- Remind me, what move was that?

\- She tried to wash her from the inside...wait, I have a call, hold on, - as Terry switched the frequency, his eyebrows rose up. With a little hesitation, he accepted the call, switched Max to listen only and said, - Commissioner, I broke that table.

\- I know, - Barbara Gordon sounded more wearily than usual, and that could mean one thing - something bad happened, - But that is not the reason I am calling you...Batman. Several days ago patrol was checking anonymous call about old chemical plant working again. They were attacked and rendered unconscious, no traces left behind...except for chemical components and all patrolmen reporting, how something black and slimy was blocking their mouth and nose. Sounds familiar?

\- Pretty much.

\- You know something, - it was a fact, and Terry always wondered, how Gordon could knew something like this.

\- Black market is full of weapons from the trainwreck that happened week ago, - he started to explain the facts, he knew, - Some of these weapons will be used to raid Inque's daughter's mansion in near future, and I don't have information about those people being hired be Inque or if they are doing it on their own.

\- ...you know, who's company that train is?

\- Hit me.

\- "Wayne-Powers".

\- What?! - Terry nearly crashed into a building during the turn when Gordon hit him with that news.

\- Yes. It looks like sabotage, and they are pressing that version in press...but there are a lot of things wrong with this whole situation.

\- Tell you what - I get you that thugs with weapons intact, and the police will have more evidence with eye-witnesses to work with.

\- Was going to propose myself, but you got it first. And...Batman, Curare escaped from her prison, this just came in. It would be appreciated if you happen to apprehend her, if she will enter the city.

\- Noted, - after a slight pause, Terry noted something, that was on a tip of his tongue, - ...this is the first time we did this. Talked to each other like that.

\- Don't push it, kid, it's only because there were too many calm nights. And I know better than anyone - if there's too many calm nights in Gotham, something major will happen. And that train with Inque sighted and Curare escaping, I believe my guts even more. I can put our differences and overlook more things than usual...for now.

\- Got it. Any other leads?

\- Not right now...Those weapons, you said they were for a week on blackmarket? You didn't happen to know, what kind of?

\- Plasma casters, lasers, high-tech gear - my source didn't know much. Why you asked?

\- The manifest of that train suggests, that only datachips and other computer equipment was stolen.

\- Figures. They want to cover it up, - Terry nodded to himself, while carefully driving along the streets of upper Gotham, - Maybe I should pay Paxton a visit.

\- No, you will do enough for now with that thug group. I wish I could help you, but we experiencing massive personnel dismissal.

\- How bad is it?

\- Bad enough to keep you off the working out on the streets for several nights straight...enough of chit-chat. If you happen to have anything, you know how to contact me.

\- Will do, Commissioner, - with Barbara Gordon singing off, Terry returned Max back, - You heard all of it.

\- Yeah, and already trying to dig up why cops are leaving the police department...but it could take a while. Talk tomorrow day?

\- Yup. Just gonna...do the homework.

* * *

\- So, you want to talk about it now?

Terry sighed as Max rushed towards him after the day in college was over. More to it, he planned to actually drive immediately towards Wayne's manor, but she already was in his way.

\- What to talk about, Max? I don't know, if after that we can come together at all.

\- You can tell me, what happened - who can understand a woman, if not another woman?

\- ...Fine, - Terry sighted again, nodding towards his bike, - You know how she can be angry at times, when I miss our dates due to...work with mister Wayne.

\- And?

\- And I missed all our dates several weeks ago, - grumbled Terry, sitting on his bike and putting helmet on. He crossed his hands together on a rudder, staring forward for a while, - ...she was shouting, a lot, and it didn't helped that I can't tell her how I work for mister Wayne.

\- Boy, that's really bad...but maybe it's better for both of you.

\- How so?

\- She can think about it in the meantime and dig around her heart to understand her feeling, - Max looked over her shoulder, spotting Dana in the distance along with other students. Terry spotted to, so he turned away quickly, - ...I know how it sounds, but she will think about it, give her time...a lot of time, it's not something woman will decide right away.

\- Are you girls always so complicating?

\- Says the most complicated person in the whole college, - Max smiled and pat Terry on his helmet lightly, - Nose up, McGinnis...and if you need help, you can ask me to...

\- I had a specific instruction from mister Wayne, Max, - Terry turned seriously to her, starting the engine on the bike, - Maybe...one day he will give it a go, but right now he only started to soften up...you will be online as usual?

\- Of course I will, who will help you otherwise? - she asked playfully, stepping away from the bike, - But you gotta to teach me that mister Wayne's method of sleeping less and feeling myself like I was hit by maglev train.

\- You got my technique to master, Max, - he smiled a bit, closing his helmet's visor before dusting off towards Wayne's manor.

Mister Wayne was absent for three days straight - some emergency company meeting from another part of the globe. Something like this happened a lot during his Batman career, and with Max on board, it was much easier...with with Wayne Terry felt protection and reliance that he couldn't yet feel from Max. It's no wonder, though, but Max tried to be of better help from each encounter, and for that Terry was thankful.

Wayne took Ace with him as a source of protection and companionship, so the whole manor felt even more depressingly empty and devoid of life. The duty was usual - get in, check the perimeter, check the manor, sleep for three hours and get to "work". The work was also usual - checking news from the channels and forums, solving minor cases with the help of Batcomputer (which was troubling still, despite constantly using it), read some material Wayne provided to improve skills, check the dossier on past and present criminals, check the most wanted list, maintain the Batmobile. After that you can go on patrol of the city, contacting Max via private and secure orbital satelite...well, mostly secure - Wayne mentioned that Edward Nigma was able to tap into his frequency lots of times, despite the measures to prevent such things, but there were not so many people like Edward Nigma on Earth at his time, and probably there are not so many right now.

The duty was simple - check on snitches from time to time, bust some punks on the streets, break into someones private life in search for clues, nothing usual...but something was really off. When Wayne left Gotham, the crime rate started to drop, little by little, and several days after his talk with Ears Terry knew what Barbara meant by "too many calm nights" - he couldn't remember so many night with so little crime on the streets. Splicers? Hiding. Jokerz? Too. Other gangs stopped waging war, and snitches have no idea why, but words on the streets were talking about those weapons from train wreck

It was all quite until Firday, when Terry found some time to watch over the Deanna's manor:

\- Maybe they want to hide because they got these weapons and they don't to get any attention? - asked Max one night, when Terry shared his concerns about Gordon being right.

\- Maybe. I was trying to get someone to talk, but almost all gangs layed low underground, - Terry was speaking quietly while being on the roof of a high building and observing the mansion of Deanna Clay - a vast one, with such luxury style that it could make anyone puke, rich or poor, - ...and it seems our spoiled princess is doing fine.

\- Wasn't she charged with...something?

\- Money is power. And she got a lot of money...but not a lot of brains, - Terry leaned in, watching the aerocar approaching, - ...hey, Max, can you get into GCPD and search for aerocar with the license plate of M0N3Y-4-M3.

\- ...really?

\- I saw worse.

\- Alright, searching...it belongs to...some house cleaning corporation, the vehicle was stolen just yesterday.

\- Figures, gotta go..., - he stopped in his tracks, as he watched a shadow climbing over the side of the building, and climbing fast.

\- Terry?

\- It's Inque, she's here! - he quickly jumped into Batmobile, turning it towards the mansion.

Terry was cursing his position - he couldn't find any closer to the mansion without the risk being detected, and Batman shouldn't be detected. Right now he wasted precious seconds, watching helplessly at the zoomed in monitor, which showed how criminals, dressed as cleaners, got in, killed two guards right on the spot with perfect clean shot and moved inside the mansion. It was a large group, counting to ten men led by very strange guy in a strange suit with closed helmet. Inque, on the other hand, was moving on the roof, and she found the group inside the main hall, that had glass walls even on the second floor. As she extended her arm into tentacle, she quickly pierced the glass in one strike, grabbed the leg of one of the thugs and threw him out of the mansion platform. Terry had to use the special netgun on Batmobile to capture the poor bastard, so he would not become a flat pie. Firing a several gas grenades inside the mansion, Batman quickly dropped down near pool and rolled to the side, getting away from massive covering fire. Another thug suddenly yelled as he was thrown to the pool with pieces if glass inside his skin and suit, and after that other thugs quickly left the smoke...except for one guy, that Inque grabbed by his knee and broke it in one quick twist, while other tentacle pulled the agonizing men inside the smoke.

\- Fire! - barked the guy in a strange suit, pointing at smoke, - She got him anyway!

\- Never saw her like that, - Terry took a peek from his cover, but he quickly was spotted by thugs, as some of them opened fire. Laser shots pierced through the walls and decorative urns, but for now the cover would hold.

\- Give me a frag! - barked the suit-thug. Soon he got himself a large cylindric object in left hand, while getting closer to the pool of water. It was clear as day - when Inque storm out of the smoke, the grenade will be dropped inside the pool and it will wash her over. It was a choice of several seconds, but Terry had to decide quickly, and he did what he thought would be right.

\- Inque, cover! - he shouted as loud as he could, throwing several prepared batarangs in a succession at the suit-thug. Some batarangs were shot down by laser fire, but it took just one hit to the wrist to drop the fragmentation grenade inside the pool.

Inque in the meantime was about to jump from the smoke towards the thugs, but she quickly changed her pace and rushed towards the cover, where Batman was. The grenade inside the pool exploded just in time she reached the cover and Terry took beach umbrella to extend it towards the flowing water.

\- I help you get these guys, but no killing or breaking their tech, - said Batman, preparing another batarangs in both of his hands.

\- Deal, - she quickly responded, with her voice trembling from anger, - But you need more than two.

\- I am not that slow learner, - said Terry, throwing two batarangs in a succession.

The first one was a flashbang - the thugs were blinded for a while, but another another stuck into the ground and started to discharge electrical battery. Since the whole floor and cloth were in the water, that transmitted electrical charge good enough, all thugs suddenly tensed and dropped down.

\- ...the one in the suit, - Inque suddenly spoke, - He is not here.

\- I am here!

Inque shouted as she felt electrical discharge eating at her body, and she felt limp for a moment. Terry got lucky - he just got a fist to the face that made the vision blur from the static for a moment. Quickly getting up, he saw the suit-thug planting his fist right into Inque's head with another one held towards Batman:

\- No-no-no, hands up, Bats, or Inque will be dissolved...again, right?...but I will make it sure this time for you.

\- What do you want from here? - he asked, while holding his hands slowly up, looking at Inque from time to time.

\- Money of that pretty lady that lives in such pretty house, of course! - Terry looked at Inque, as she extended a new tentacle from her body to slowly crawl it around the leg of the suit-guy, - ...and gotta admit, I don't have to share that money with anyone else, thanks to both of you!...now, - he clenched his fist a little, sending low current through the Inque, who started to growl from the pain that was coursing though her body, - I don't have all day to chit-chat, so hands behind your head, on your knees and face to the ground, - as Batman slowly began to comply, the thug in a suit continued to mock Inque, while constantly looking from Batman to Inque and back, - Never knew Inque would be fighting for good guys. What made you change your mind, sweetheart?...I said, what made you change your mind!

When thug was not looking at him, Terry was fast enough to nod Inque. Quickly turning on his knees to the side, he shot an explosive batarang from his wrist-launcher towards the arm, that was holding Inque right now. The explosion did the right thing - the thug in a suit shouted as his arm moved from the explosion away from Inque, and he shouted even more when Inque grabbed him by his leg and smashed against the wall several times, until the helmet finally cracked on several pieces. While she was holding the thug by his leg, she was looking at Batman for a long time before she threw thug towards Batman feet:

\- That trash is yours. Sorry for helmet...Now...what you will do?

\- Check on your daughter first, - he pushed his fingers to check the pulse, and while there was a faint one, the guy took quite a beating to the head, even despite the protection, - I haven't seen her during attack.

\- I will check the perimeter. Secure my daughter, Batman...and after that we will talk, - she quickly started to run all over the manor, checking every corner and every shadow.

First things first - handcuffing the cleaning party, and the Batmobile, thanks to mister Wayne, had a lot of spare handcuffs and riot nets. Second thing - check on the thugs, stop their bleeding, because Inque despite her relentlessness managed to not kill anybody. Only after that Batman rushed inside the manor, sometimes bumping into Inque, who was relentlessly searching the manor. He rushed towards the second floor to find the locked door, which he just opened with a kick to the handle. But after he kicked the door Batman walked back towards the ladders and shouted downstairs:

\- Inque, second floor.

She came in as fast as she could, and when she entered the room in her towering malformed form, she stopped right into her tracks before slowly approaching the bed, where her daughter lied with a lot of medical machinery attached to her. Batman stood aside a little, watching Inque slowly approaching her daughter's bed. Deanna was sleeping, and judging by how strong she was sleeping during the whole fight, she was either in coma or under medical drugs.

\- Wha...what...what happened to her? - asked Inque, making her right tentacle into a hand and maintaining it long enough to gently pat her daughter on the forehead.

\- I don't know, I see her myself like that for the first time. Alfred, - Terry quickly reached out to Max, - Check the medical records for Deanna Clay.

\- You just wanted to name my that way, don't you?...on it, it will take some time.

\- ...I hope it's not what I fear it is..., - said Inque quietly, staring at her daughter without movement.

\- You know something, that could cause her...condition?

\- ...more than something, - she rose up and turned towards him, towering over Batman but looking broken as never before, - I can't go again to prison, not now, Batman, especially not now...and I..I need you h...he-hea...

\- ...help?

\- ...yes, that one, - she slowly walked towards him, without any menacing intentions, but Terry was ready to fight with her again. She leaned a bit forward, looking right at him with her big white oval ornament instead of human face, - Our last encounters were...not the best ones, but you can change that.

\- Me. Not you.

\- We are talking right in front of my sick daughter, Batman, which I will protect from anything, - she quickly stepped backwards, crossing her tentacled arms together, - And if this means to change...something, I will. But I can only do it with your help.

\- ...Alright. We are talking, and that's a progress, so I will hear you out, but it better be without any tricks.

\- No tricks, it's pretty straightforward, - she made a pause, trying to gather her thoughts, but she was nervously looking back at Deanna. Terry knew how she felt, so he kept silent until she spoke again, - I need your resources to make stabilizers for me. Your old man, whoever it is, probably has connections, because you are not that smart to afford such toys.

\- Don't push it, Inque.

\- You can't hold a grudge against the truth...but you are right, - she sighed and continued, leaning again forward to Batman, - If you can provide me the resources...and maybe some work that your old man could pay me for, I will change sides.

\- Just like that? - he raised his eyebrows in disbelief.

\- Money doesn't smell, Batman, - she quickly responded back, - But, of course, I won't go into prison, and while I am at it...I can share my experience with you. It will take time, of course.

\- Slow learner, got it...and I guess I need to decide now, judging by how bad you are looking right now.

\- ...bad?

\- You can't?...wait, - Terry quickly approached the floor mirror and move it towards Inque, who gasped from the sudden surge of fear. She was looking not just bad, she was slowly decomposing right on the spot, with her goo slowly dripping on the floor from her body. What was worse in this situation is the fact that Inque couldn't feel her body being dissolved, like it was before.

\- ...you need to decide now. I need stabilizer, Batman, and quick, - she approached him slowly and tried to hold him by his shoulders, but the tentacle arms just smashed against Batman and slid lazely down, - ...what will it be?

\- ...do you remember the bag?

\- You can't be~

\- I will let you out once we are in place, - he crossed his arms together, looking straight at Inque, - If you want me to trust you, you will have to trust me too.

\- Fine, - she responded with annoyance, while poking Batman with a tentacle arm to his chest, - I'll get into the bag, but if I will go inside prison again, I will broke out and I will drown you inside me.

\- ...oddly specific. Let's move one, before she wakes up and cops will arrive - judging by the machinery, she is visited frequently by doctors. For now she will be fine.

* * *

The idea of having a nemesis, who thrashed the Batcave once and nearly killed you, inside that Batcave again was not so inspiring, to say the least. But there was a remedy to it - before he opened the airtight bag, he released Inque inside the secure plastyglass sphere, which was inside the pool of water. It was prepared specially for her since the encounter inside the Batcave, in case of scenarios of apprehending her.

Inque was not happy about it:

\- You told me to trust you, liar! I swear, you better keep me here, because when I will come out, I will be freakishly mad! - Inque already opened a panel of the speaker inside her container only to find out that it was wireless, - Damn it!

\- Let me remind you, that you broke inside the Batcave, trashed the place like a punk, and...yeah, that kiss of death was so romantic, - seeing that Inque got herself together a bit after that retort, Batman continued, - I need your sample to analyze it and to see, what kind of chemical stabilizers you need.

\- You could've asked, because I can cook them myself.

\- If you can, why you are in such state? - Terry walked towards the Inque's cage, crossing his arm together.

\- ...I hurried when I should've waited, - she replied in a much calmer tone, - And I need stronger stabilizers, higher doses, more volumes of mass. It's not all about stabilizing the degradation, it's also about losing the mass due do it. How to make mass, I know, it's simple...comparing to stabilization.

\- Then give me a sample, Inque. I will analyze it, and maybe we can find a better...solution.

\- Fine, fine...here? - she pointed in the small opened tray.

\- Here.

The tray had five airtight chambers, all filled with water when they were not in use, so it took a while to get sample from the "water cage" to Batcomputer. Now it was the hardest job - to look smart and try to be smart in front of your probably worst faced enemy. Some of the knowledge Terry picked about pharmacology came in handy, since it was heavily connected with chemistry...but not to the point Terry could understand everything. After several hours of research and amateur experiments, he finally gave up and rolled away from the Batcomputer, staring at the results of his work. Inque at least was quite, but her condition worsened by the hour - even the sample started to dissolve.

\- That's worse than I thought, - he finally said, stepping away from the Batcomputer.

\- Tell me about it, - responded Inque sarcastically, - May I say that you know crap about chemistry?

\- Yeah, but I got several leads to people that could help your condition...and I got this, - he took out a tube from the centrifuge, showing Inque black liquid.

\- My sample will so help me!

\- ...it's a stabilizer based on your own mass, - he sighed again, - Basically...

\- I need to sacrifice my unstable mass, blend the stable mass with right chemicals, apply them with the stable mass - been here, done that, look how it worked.

\- But that's the right one.

\- Look, I know myself, this...giant retro TV stand won't do any good, - she pointed towards the Batcomputer.

\- It did. You just need to stop persist and to accept the help you asked from me.

\- ...good point. But will you keep me here still?

\- Answer that question yourself, - Terry took a glance back at the monitor of Batcomputer and suddenly felt the urge to yawn...which was hardly suppressed, - I will check on you in three-four hours, the other stabilizers will be ready, but they won't last long.

\- Even Batman needs to sleep, - Inque said in a playful manner, watching as Terry was walking towards the ladders. But before he could leave, Inque said something that made him stop for a short while, - ...maybe it's for the best that you never show something like this. Old people talk about demon that comes at night, young folks like to discuss how Batman kicked someone's butt recently...even I was afraid of you the very first time we met...before you tried that stupid trick with a grate.

\- Guess you are not afraid anymore, right?

\- Not you at least, I have much worse enemy to deal with...I won't escape, I am too weak for it, despite that I know how to do it already. So, when you woke up...

\- I will think about it. No promises, - said Terry, turning lights off and shutting the door behind him.

* * *

 **It's probably short, but you already see the idea, I suppose. And I hope I got you hooked.**

 **I have to rest a bit and rethink my life choices, because I was writing this chapter all day with little to no rest.**

 **As usual, criticism is welcomed. It's the only way to improve.**

 **PS Easter egg hunt is on.**


	2. The Surface Of The Underground

**Sometimes you can stare at the monitor for days and write not a single word. Sometimes you can lose your sleep because of the idea you have, and honestly, I better prefer something in the middle of those two.**

 **Nevertheless, second chapter is here. I won't say anything here and will relocate my thoughts to lower section.**

 **Enjoy.**

 **PS Whoever invents the gun to kill the typos, please send me a copy ASAP.**

* * *

The large hall was already touched by first golden rays of the rising sun. The Wayne Manor was an empty place, and during nights it felt abandoned, out of time even. During days, though, this place was a bit better when sun visited it though large ornament glass, filling rooms with light and taking the darkness away. Terry was already awake - he slept a little and took a shower, now working on a laptop while chatting with Max:

\- I hate when you do that, - she yawned tiredly, - How can you sleep so little?

\- You'll know when you are Batman, - he said, slightly grinning, - Did you find something on Deanna?

\- Y-yeah, give me a sec~...damn it, here it is...several weeks ago her housekeeper called an ambulance - she lost her consciousness and fell on a floor...some blunt trauma, nothing dangerous...oh God.

\- Max? - Terry asked immediately when he heard Max gasping in surprise.

\- They took her blood sample, and...it seems she's slowly degrading. Something about DNA damage, it can't replicate itself and degrades too fast, - Max took a slight pause while typing something on her side, - She decided to take treatment at home, and judging by the logs, she started to constantly feel pain...she can sleep only under heavy medical drugs. Muscle atrophy, inner organs damage...it started to affect even her brain recently, her neurons are breaking apart. The doctors managed only to slow the process down to some degree, but most optimistic prediction? She have five month, six at most.

\- ...just like Inque. She is dissolving more and more by the hour.

\- You think their conditions are the same?

\- Maybe, but I need to make her talk - she seems to know about her daughter more than she wants me to know, - Terry turned his eyes towards the rising sun, looking at peaceful morning over Gotham, - And I don't have much time - Batcomputer analyzed her sample, and in best case scenario she can hold out for two-three days.

\- And in worst case scenario?

\- Ten hours. Fifteen tops.

\- ...and you can't contact mister Wayne, right? - she sighed, while also typing actively on her laptop.

\- He said that it's too dangerous to talk about "work" from where he is right now, so...how he said it, radio-silence?...yeah, something like that, - Terry lied down on the couch and closed his eyes, trying to get his thoughts together, - And now I need to help a supervillain, who tried to kill me several times, because she asked.

\- I am surprised that this actually happened. She wasn't seems to be the type to, you know, talk to you instead of outright kill you on the spot...do you think she changed?

\- ...maybe, - said Terry, opening his eyes and looking at the ceiling, - Maybe she is just using me to save yourself and Deanna, and when it's done, she will be at it again.

\- But it's worth the try, right? And if she goes insane, you probably will stop her...right?

\- Dunno, - Terry sit on the couch, staring at the monitor of his laptop, - She pulled off some crazy moves, and fighting her...is freaking scary, Max.

\- So, what's our next move with her?

\- I'll try to find a way to stabilize her, or find someone to make that happen...Batcomputer has the solution, but it's temporary and requires a lot of materials, which are not so easy to get...and if I will get them, it must not be stealing.

\- ...how about stealing from those, who steal? You know, compromise to your code?

\- You have something?

\- Probably will, just give me some time, I have few ideas. And maybe you can check Batcomputer and some other leads?

\- Yeah, will try to. Thanks, Max.

When Terry walked down to the Batcave, Inque was still inside, and judging by her look, her condition worsened - she turned into a liquid serene pool, and to make things worse, Terry noticed some bubbles were forming on her surface. Something like that already happened in their last encounter, and it led to her near-dissolving...though she survived, but it seems it was the final point for her. He quickly stepped to Batcomputer and started to work, trying to gather more information and to get some ideas on how he could help her condition. Inque was quite all that time, only extending her large white oval from her mass to watch him closely.

The problem was more than just serious, it was complex - trust issues, Deanna's condition and Inque's instability were all tied together to how she became Inque in the first place. Terry studied many villains and their origins, and he could sometimes understands their motives, and sometimes he couldn't. So...how can you help the world's most effective and dangerous thief and saboteur? Fixing her condition and trying to get her talk about what she was will be a good starting point, but the chemicals that were needed are really hard to come by...except that there are several groups that like to steal chemical compounds - new splicer gang that appeared on the streets just two weeks ago, KOBRA cell operating somewhere in undercover, maybe Jokerz, but they went underground along with the T's.

\- We have better chances with splicers, - suddenly said Inque. Despite how far she was from the Batcomputer, she seemed to see perfectly anything on the monitor, despite the distance, - They need chemicals to produce custom DNA-stabilizers for the splicing process.

\- Yeah, except it won't be easy to find them, - Terry said, still working on the Batcomputer.

\- If you don't know where to look...but I do.

\- Where? - Terry quickly turned towards Inque's cage.

\- Oh, I can take you there, - she said in playful voice.

\- You are in no condition to fight, Inque, - Terry crossed his arms on his chest, glancing at Inque strictly.

\- I said, that I will take you there, but you will be the one to fight...open the tray, - she extended her tentacle towards and poked three times, - I will leave most of myself here.

\- Only with the bag, - said Terry, quickly finding the infamous sealed bag and coming with it towards the Inque's cage.

\- Fine, be it bag, but don't you dare to forget about me. I hate that bag more, than I should.

* * *

\- So this is the famous Batmobile from the inside...quite dark interior. Love it.

It was already morning, and Terry had to flew around for about half an hour before he opened bag with small Inque inside it. She was now occupying the top of his head, holding with her small tentacles to his sharp ears while Batmobile was flying across the Gotham. Terry asked Max to keep digging around other possible options while he was "working":

\- You are here to chit-chat, Inque?

\- Let's stuff you inside the small dark bag for an hour or two, how about that? - she quickly angered at Batman, descending her white oval eyes right in front of his eyes, - I am still human being, scraphead.

\- Right...sorry for that, but you don't have much time.

\- I never do, - she retracted her eye back and sighed, - Go to mid-Gotham, sector three, level three, I will give you directions.

"Mid-Gotham" was a section that was for everyday people - factory workers, small clerks, police officers and other little gears in big sprawling machine that Gotham became over the years. Some of the Terry's friends were from here, and he had to visit this part of the city from time to time, will it be investigation or another matter. It was much prettier than lower part of the city with much cleaner streets and absence of homeless people, but it wasn't as good as upper part of Gotham, where life shined with richness and technology. Still, people that lived here had decent life, but the majority of known crimes were coming from the mid-Gotham, with lower-Gotham being the absolute crime champion. The police was working hard here, and you can't deny the effort Gordon put into mid-Gotham to make life for all thugs as miserable as possible - constant patrols, every street and intersection had infopanels about local wanted criminals, security cams on every corner, quite effective raids on hideouts...but it wasn't enough, and considering the recent news about cops leaving GCPD, it will only get worse.

With Inque's direction, she pointed Terry towards local "credit house" - basically a criminal and poor people dream come true, where you could get yourself a room for a long period of time, if you have cash. And if you have more cash, no questions would be asked and the security cams will "suddenly" malfunction when it needed to. It wasn't cheap, and despite raids on such hideouts, they were keeping popping up, with some of them cooperating with the GCPD, and some - not. This one, by Inque's intel, wasn't, and was used for deals between couriers of variety of splicers gangs and black market traders. Terry switched Batmobile to silent running mode and dropped down with Inque on the roof, quickly taking cover behind large solar panel and signaling Batmobile to leave. The roof was empty, but Terry still took his time to look around before venturing to the door with the control panel. As he was about to hack the control panel, Inque stopped him:

\- Wait, - she quickly launched herself towards the panel and squeezed herself inside it. After some time she re-emerged and jumped onto Batman's hand, - The panel was wired with the signaler, which could activate if you tried to brute-force it or use spike on it.

\- ...you knew that? - Terry resumed the hacking of the door, extending the port on his finger, while looking around.

\- Had a hunch, - she replied, while taking place at the top of his head, - I remember that they had multiple silent alarm systems, in case of the raids...or rats poking around.

\- Got it, - as Terry opened the door, he was stopped by Inque again.

\- Laser alarm, - she pointed her tentacle towards the small red laser emitter that was on the floor.

\- ...they are taking this seriously, - he carefully stepped over the laser ray and quitely closed the door, - And probably that's not all they have.

\- They have their share of cuts from the deals inside these walls, - explained Inque as quite as possible, while Batman was silently walking downstairs, - And it depends from place to place, but if a "house" has serious security, they can charge bigger cut.

\- And those money are spend on more security? - Terry reached the first door and pressed two fingers to the wall, activating sound enhancement system.

\- Police bribes comes first, of course, - Inque reached a bit forward, trying to see what Batman was doing, - Then bribes to local government, inspectors of various kinds, and of course the biggest local group that protects "house".

\- And exactly what we are looking for?

\- We are looking for cellar. The group I knew and had some small deals preferred to make business there, and they tend to left messages about next meeting.

\- Encrypted? - Terry began to descend slowly, trying to spot possible danger.

\- No, why? They believe this place is secure...and you should probably keep it that way, if you can. To your own benefit.

\- Yeah, to allow them profit and make God knows what they are discussing here, - he replied sarcastically, carefully hugging against the wall when he heard footsteps on another floor.

\- To catch bigger fish, you need to pass on small ones, - she was whispering right on his ear, - Come on, Batman, play smarter, because you can.

\- No "slow learner" line, Inque?

\- Not today.

\- ...and why you chose my head? - he asked, stopping briefly to wait for some local denizens walk back into main floors from the stairway.

\- Your silly pointy ears are very handy, and I like to be on top.

As they reached the lower levels, Inque used herself to silently open the physical lock on the door, that led to cellar, and when Batman came inside she closed the lock and slithered back in. The cellar was a typical one - water purifiers, boilers, some clothes and belongings of other people, and lots of pipes. When Inque get back on his head, Terry activated optical camouflage, but suddenly Inque whispered to him:

\- Not working on me. I will lead the way, you follow.

Terry just nodded, and two of them started to slowly creeping around the cellar, which turned to be occupied by some people. Some of them Terry recognized - they were wanted for variety of crimes, from thievery to third degree murder, and it was hard to pass on all of those criminals that were still sleeping in safety from justice, while justice incarnate was walking among them. Carefully following Inque, both of them soon were facing very sturdy looking door, which was closed on a mechanical lock. Inque quickly slithered inside the lock, silently opening him and waving at Batman to come closer. As Terry walked past the door, Inque repeated the procedure with closing the lock from outside and slithered back in, quickly crawling to Terry's head:

\- That's the place, - she said, while Terry was looking around small room with old metal table and four crude chairs around it, - The messages are hidden inside the false brick, which is...here, - she pointed towards the left wall with her tentacle. As Terry walked towards the wall, he and Inque slowly took out the false brick, which revealed piece of paper inside vacuum seal.

\- And this is going to..., - Terry quickly stopped his question when he got the letter in his hands. He took a quick glance on it, and then he looked at Inque - she leaned forward, studying letter closely, - It's your lucky day.

\- Maybe, but you still have to pull this one alone, remember?

\- I know, - Terry quickly put letter back, with Inque carefully returning it to it's original position, and he slowly placed the false brick back, - Let's head back, we are done here.

* * *

Inque wasn't quite happy when she returned back to the Batcave inside the bag and had to get inside her cage again, but this time Terry made a small compromise - he moved her cage close to Batcomputer, so they could work together:

\- You know something about those splicers?

\- Only that they use a normal humans for courier job. I never met their alpha or any of them...it's how they call their leader, - she explained when Batman turned to her with raised eyebrow, - But I know that those rogue groups really hate you for what you did with other splicers you put in prison, and especially for what you did with Cuvier.

\- Never was a fan of his work...the meeting will be held in lower Gotham area, in this very building.

\- Plan?

\- Trace the courier back to splicers, beat the splicers and get your chemicals intact, - he glanced back at Inque, who looked sceptical...despite the lack of face to read such emotions from, - What?

\- Just taking notes that you need to be better at this, - she sighed before starting to explain, - Tracing the courier could be waste of time - they never go to such places right after deals and meetings, they could wait up to a month before moving to the hideout.

\- ...intercept the courier and get the location.

\- After the deal and when he is far away from witnesses or to call for help, - she sounded pleased when Terry quickly got the idea, - And after that?...

\- ...make sure he can't inform the splicers, - nodded Terry to her, - But no...

\- No killing, I get it.

\- You got it when you assaulted those cops at chemical plant without killing them? - asked Terry, coming closer to her cage and crossing his arms together.

\- You wouldn't understand, what I felt back then, Batman, and...

\- That's just an excuse to not talk, Inque, - he interrupted her quickly, - If we are working together, and we are now working together, I need to know, if you can keep it up and not fall back again, - he made a pause, to let Inque some time to retort, but she fell silent all of sudden, - ...and to do that, we have to talk about what happened to you before you became what you are now. Because I don't believe that you became world's dangerous criminal out of good life, - he waited for her to talk back, but there was only silence from her. After a whole minute of waiting Terry finally sighted and started to walk towards the exit of Batcave, - I will see you in several hours, the stabilizer inside the tray.

\- ...we will talk, - she finally spoke when Terry was about to leave, - But later. At least for now I will try to hold myself, if it's what you want to hear.

\- It's not about what I want, it's about what you want, - he replied back before switching lights off, - Because I can't force you to change...Only you can.

Terry took more time to sleep, and made a call home to chat with mother - he and mister Wayne made an alibi about Terry's responsibilities around the manor, which in turn allowed him spend weekends inside the manor and Batcave. But, of course, his sleep was suddenly disturbed by the call from commissioner Gordon. Still sleepy, Terry quickly pushed the button and yawned into the microphone:  
\- Yes?

\- Restless night, kid?

\- Something like that...you are calling about work? - Terry still tried to get yourself together, yawning again, - Because I really wanted to rest.

\- Got it, kid...Tim called me today.

\- Mister Drake? - the sleep was gone in a second Gordon mentioned his name, - Is he alright?

\- No worries, kid, he is fine, he...he just reminded me how much we owe you and how harsh I can be, - Barbara sighed, as on the other end of the Gotham she was looking at a picture of smiling, but old Tim Drake, - Unjustly harsh even...Tim will come over to town to work on some new satellites, and he wanted to meet with you...when you are not working.

\- When mister Drake will come to Gotham?

\- Next month...and kid, we need to talk tomorrow.

\- Got it...but where?

\- The same place as Bruce used for talking. Have a good day, kid.

Of course Barbara meant rooftop of GCPD HQ, that was easy to follow. But they never talked like that, never before, even after when Barbara acknowledged that she was wrong about Terry after dealing with the Joker, and accepted Bruce's proposition about private secure link with Batmobile...which she never used until last night. And now she wants to meet him in person? The situation either worse than he thought, or commissioner Gordon decided to be a little bit like her father in terms of relationship with Batman...or maybe she wants to berate him in person, who knows. The most important thing was about dealing with the courier today, so Terry returned to rest and later started to prepare. Inque, of course, was watching him closely, and she wasn't looking good - the bubbles that formed on her slowly now were forming much faster, and those bubbles popped with a nasty sound, effectively reducing her mass at alarming rate.

\- ...can you keep this up for long? - he finally asked her when everything was ready.

\- For tonight, but I can't return back to my mass, if I leave it - it will degrade much faster without me, - she had a hard time talking, and she was constantly pausing herself, - And if I connect myself to it...I won't be able to halt the reaction as I am doing it now.

\- Alright, - Terry walked towards the cage, and he noticed that she really lost at least quarter of her mass just today, - Bo bag today, but you better have to tricks, Inque.

\- Believe me, if I had tricks...damn it...you would've known, - Terry nodded, and opened all trays. Inque slowly detached herself from her mass and walked towards the exit, quickly jumping in Batman's head and moaning with relief, - Much better without bag, I can tell you...and you probably call it bat-bag.

\- Just try to hold your form, Inque, - Terry quickly approached Batmobile and entered his seat, connecting suit with the control systems, - I'll try to get this fast.

\- I know you will, - she said with a strange expression before falling silent for the rest of the ride.

Terry had to improvise in terms of navigation and confusing Inque for a while with flying all over the Gotham with inner sensors turned off - he was navigating with the help of a computer grid for fifteen minutes before he pressed the button and made inner sensors display Gotham. To his surprise, Inque wasn't as talkative as before, even when they reached the destination and dropped down. It took some time to reach the point, where they could observe the building without being noticed, and lucky for Inque, Terry was quite mobile in his suit. The building they were after was some old hotel, abandoned for ages and eroded by time in many places. Some homeless people were around the place, lying around or resting near fire, but they were not around the hotel or inside it.

The work of Batman can sometimes be dangerous, but most of the time it's poking around, piecing everything together and waiting, watching. This segment required patience Terry lacked from the start, but he learned how to be patient and tried to be as observable as possible. For instance, he noticed that some people were walking around the streets, definitely trying to spot snitches or other threat, some of them even entered hotel several times. After thirty minutes of waiting, Terry finally spotted a group that appeared at the backyard of the hotel and walked through broken wall inside the hotel building. That group had no gang marks or clothes to make them distinct, so they were something else...but something about them was really off.

\- I hope you don't have stupid ideas of charging in, - Inque whispered on his ear, while also working as a spotter.

\- You can read people's mind now too? - asked Terry while looking over the street to spot a lone man approaching building also from the backyard.

\- That's our courier. I recognized him, - Inque also turned towards the man just in time to saw him, - Don't know the name, didn't care to ask, but he was doing it for a while.

\- What for? Money?

\- You never considered options where people are drugged into this world against their will? Without the options to leave? - she said with a slight sigh and disappointment in her voice.

\- Touche. And don't even think to say...

\- You are a slow learner, - she said quickly in a playful tone.

\- I hate you so much right now...

The courier left building first, and it didn't looked like he had something on him, but Terry knew that he must've have something. He and Inque were following the courier for a while, and when the time was right, Terry threw a batarang with a rope attached to it. The man didn't expect that, as he didn't expect to be quickly pushed up five floor's up. Screaming all the way up to the roof, the man also yelped when he saw Batman himself, holding the rope with one hand.

\- W-what do you want?

\- I saw you making that transaction with some shady people. I want to know what was that about.

\- I-I d-don't know what you are talking about!

\- This is taking too long, - sighed Inque, quickly jumping from behind Batman's shoulder towards the courier, quickly disappearing inside his clothes.

\- W-what was that?!...cut it off, cut it!.., - the courier was shaking for a while, but suddenly went silent when Inque started to throw out items from his hidden pockets, which all were plastic sealed cases. She even managed to throw his belt for some reason.

\- There, - she jumped back to Batman, pointing at items with her tentacle, - Those cases are used to transport chemicals from one place to another - easy to hid and carry around.

\- And the belt?

\- Hidden compartments, - she jumped down and quickly teared down the belt, revealing an elastic sealed case with some sort of liquid inside, - Bendable...very expensive toy.

\- So you don't know anything, - Batman glanced at the courier, narrowing his eyes.

\- L-Look, they are using me for several months now - pay them, get money from those, get this, get that... don't know even know what this stuff is! - he quickly broke down, shouting loudly, - And they don't want to release me!...they pay a lot, but the crap I have to go through is too much!...B-Batman, m-maybe you can take them down?

\- I will. Now tell me everything, - Terry reached for the courier and got him on the roof, freeing from the rope.

\- They call themselves "Nocturnality", but they were doing just robberies and racketeers...at least for some time, - the man sighed when Batman released him and sat on the roof, watching Inque with strict fear in his eyes, - ...recently they got contacted by some group, and they started to...they called it "wet work", and those people payed them a lot...they also supplied them with the chemicals and other stuff in exchange for some...problem solving.

\- Those contacters that were in the hotel during exchange?

\- Y-yes, - the courier nodded, while also going pale and starting to sweat, - They always hid their faces, and...I dunno, something is off with them.

\- What was the recent exchange? - suddenly asked Inque, moving a bit closely to the courier.

\- Data chip, I don't know what was on it, but they seemed to accept them without even looking at the content of those chips.

\- And they gave you chemicals? - Batman picked up a small plastic container, carefully studying it.

\- Y-yes, I have no idea what are they for...l-look, they have a hideout in northern part of the lower Gotham, in a big ruined "Polar Night" hotel, - the man quickly started to explain, because Inque suddenly moved towards the courier and stopped only when he started talking, - They have a lab, pretty big one, in the cellar level.

\- How many of them? What splices they used? - Inque outpaced Batman with the same question he had in mind.

\- F-four - one girl took a panther splice, and other three guys took hedgehog, bear and...some sort of reptile, looks creepy as hell.

\- Who is the leader? - asked Inque again, crawling creepily and slowly every second courier was not talking.

\- The hedgehog one!

\- When you were supposed to deliver them those chemicals? - now Batman asked.

\- In f-four days!

\- I will send you down, but those chemicals are staying, - Terry slowly rose up and helped the courier to get on his legs, - And you better go to police and tell them everything.

\- Except about me, - Inque made it clear with her indisputable, threatening tone while she was talking to the courier.

\- ...except about her, - sighed Terry, because she was right - knowing that Inque was working with Batman could lead to confrontation with Gordon, and Terry wasn't ready for that confrontation yet.

* * *

\- See? We can work together, - Inque was lazily swaying on top of Batman's head while he was driving Batmobile towards the location.

\- That's quite a stretch, Inque.

\- And I can stretch a lot...but I got your point, - she sighed when she saw the glare from Batman in reflection, - What's our plan?

\- Take out the splicers and raid their chemical supplies. I have no idea what you need, so you might have start to remember all that chemistry stuff, - Batman glanced at the computer map of the area, carefully turning at intersection.

\- Of course I remember, but that wasn't the question...May I inquire on how you will take them out?

\- Starting with the alpha or other big guys.

\- Sounds like a semi-good plan to me, - she replied in pleased tone while looking outside of the Batmobile.

\- Bet you could better, huh?

\- Of course, - for the first time Terry heard her laugh, even if it was a brief one...and wasn't a maniacal laughter either, - But you improved from the last time, I can give you that. And no, I will not pester you with that catch-phrase right now.

\- That's a relief.

The Batmobile dropped Terry on the roof of a hotel before leaving the area in silent run mode. Terry quickly ventured towards the door that lead to the stairway of the hotel. The whole building was slowly falling apart - the holes dotted hotel from the inside and outside, the stairway collapsed in many places years ago, the walls were crumbling just by looking at them, and some of the exposed wires were sparking from time to time. Thanks to enhanced vision, Terry could see in the dark just enough to maneuver inside the crumbled building, slowly searching every floor with sonar sensors for any activity until he reached the second floor, where he heard voices talking in some remote room. As Terry was about to open the door inside the hall, Inque stopped him:

\- Wait. They probably can smell you from afar, if they already haven't.

\- Yeah, but I have to get closer on them.

\- Go get closer, but make an advantage of it.

\- Mind games, - Terry nodded, slowly going inside the large hall and using sonic sensors on his fingers to track the right room.

He quickly found the right place - it was a big room that had several broken walls, from which Terry could see some figures inside the far away room, constantly arguing about something. Inque quickly dropped down and slithered towards the broken walls, pointing at them:

\- Booby-trap, - she whispered as low as she could, - Behind you also.

That was a good idea, but Terry even made it better after he studied the environment around himself. Inque was on watch duty, and joined Batman when he prepared a small section of the corridor for possible fight. As he walked towards the room where he spotted the figures, he could heard them more clearly when Terry pressed his fingers to the wall:

\- ...are really schway. Gotta admit - they know a lot about it.

\- You know, we probably should find others at this point.

\- Again with that idea? Look, the others are broken or gave up. We are on our own for now, and we can count only on...

The explosion along with the surprised female scream were a clear indication, that one of the traps actually worked. Without hesitation, Terry quickly rolled away from the wall just in time for it to be punched through. Throwing timed batarang to the ground, Terry just ran off, jumping over his own booby-trap and rolling to the side before he could hear another explosion with another scream that changed to constant swearing. But it was too soon to celebrate the victory - he just made two opponents out of facing all four...for now. And those two quickly dashed in, staring with a surprised look at:

\- Batman! What you forgot here, you freaking rat?! - one of the splicers was really a hedgehog - he was covered in short, but very sharp spiked, that covered all his back and the back of his hands, so he wasn't wearing a shirt to that reason. Tall one, and he looked really strong, even stronger than the other splicer - he was some sort of skinny lizard, and was constantly licking the air with his long swift tongue. For some reason, the shirt wasn't on him too.

\- Pest control, - he responded coldly while moving backwards slowly, staying away from the holes on the floor.

\- That's it, tear him apart!

As the lizard-splicer made a leap forward, Terry quickly delivered a kick from his foot right to lizard's face, sending the splicer through the wall. Alpha-hedgehog moved right from behind his comrade and assaulted Terry with a series of punches, pushing him towards the hole in the floor, where other splicers were probably waiting. But when splicer opened Terry's defenses and was about to deliver a serious blow, Inque leaped forward and closed alpha's eyes with herself. Terry quickly reacted and started to kick the crap out of alpha, while he was struggling to tear Inque from his face down.

And probably because he was so focused on Alpha, Terry forgot about a lizard-splicer, who quickly came from the side, smashing Batman into the wall and biting on his shoulder. Terry let out a short growl, forcing his both hands inside the maw and trying to pull them out. The suit managed to hold out worse, but the maw of lizard-splicer kept closing in, increasing the pressure on the suit. Inque was not doing good either - Alpha finally managed to threw her from his face and now he was closing in on Terry, who couldn't think anything better to just turn the electrical current on his suit. The lizard-splicer quickly opened his maw and stepped back, trying to get his thoughts together, while the Alpha started to press on Terry again, but this time Terry saw the pattern of incoming attacks and hit the Alpha several times above his waist with his knee. A roundhouse kick send him flying across the corridor, but as he was about to storm towards the Alpha he felt something jumping on his back and trying to tear through the suit. Working almost on instincts, Terry raised his legs to get a hold of a panther-splicer before throwing her to the side while also overturning. The panther-splicer cried, since Terry got her leg into a painlock, but she was quickly knocked down by Terry with several punches to the nape. The lizard-splicer guy was about to finally shake that stun down when Batman kicked him several times under his maw with his fists, with only on fifth strike managing to knock down the second splicer.

Suddenly something pierced through the wood and grabbed his legs, quickly dragging Batman on the first floor..and then on the ground floor when everything collapsed under the bear-splicer. Terry quickly kicked splicer to the face and used the momentum to roll away from him. The bear-splicer was fierce - even more muscular than the Alpha, with the jaw so big it made Terry shiver for a second. Terry was about to start a fight when he heard a shout from above:

\- Use it! Rip that bat idiot in half!

The splicer just silently nodded, and he took something out of his black pants Terry have not seen for a long time - a patch of Venom. When he took out the Chappell, who managed the production and distribution of new Venom formula, a lot of patched went to black market. They were for a price of gold, since only Chappell could replicate formula while other copy-cats couldn't, and thus Venom while was on the street, it was hard to obtain due to limited quantity. Meanwhile, bear-splicer quickly applied the patches to himself - two on each arm, one to his neck and one near his heart. If the splicer-thing was bad enough, the Venom-splicers were unheard of...at least for today.

Terry walked slowly backwards while bear-splicer was approaching him. The very first punch made Batman flew through the wall and lie down for a long time before he could come to his senses and got up to dodge the tackle just in time. The punches he threw at bear-splicer were nothing, and Terry had a hard time avoiding grabbing attack, which he evaded with a rolling backwards. The bear-splicer started to close in again, and though Terry managed to avoid his attacks, some of them actually teared down the suit, while his own attacks were ineffective. The bear-splicer suddenly made a quick move and grabbed Terry with his hands when suddenly Inque quickly dropped from the ceiling, closing his eyes completely.

\- Now! - she shouted, while also covering the nose of the splicer with her own body, making bear-splicer open his jaw to breath. That gave Terry good idea, and he quickly threw two tablets of sleeping gas inside the jaw of the splicer. Terry had a hard time closing the jaw, he head to literaly wrap himself around it, and it still was hard - the splicer panicked and started to smash Batman into the walls, while trying to tear Inque from his face, but the tablets already were leaking sleeping gas, and soon enough the splicer was down, lying on the floor, - Whew, that was harder than I thought, but I got the edgy one.

\- How? - Terry sighed and just sat down, trying to collect himself from the fierce battle.

\- Got inside him and blocked his trachea...don't give my that look, he's alive, I double-checked it.

\- Why you have a habit of entering inside people?...and why you didn't do that again? - he sighed, slowly getting up from the floor.

\- First - it's the easiest way, - Inque quickly slithered across the suit and reached the top of his helmet, - Second - he had a really bad breath.

\- ...really?

\- What? I have my own standards.

When the splicers were secured and Terry informed the police about their hideout, he and Inque raided the lab on cellar level. It was surprisingly good, considering it was in lower Gotham and inside the building that could collapse any day. Inque's chemistry knowledge helped not only to find needed materials, but she also stated that such lab produced a lot of splicing injectors and chemical drugs. Shutting this place down was a small victory, but Inque was most exited about the quality and quantity of chemicals they found. Terry even had to attach a fridge to Batmobile just to take the needed with him, and short while after Inque and Batcomputer were helping Terry to create a stabilizer. It, of course, was a crude one - it could stabilize Inque for about several days, but they had a lot of them...for now. The real question was about trust issues:

\- ...oh no, you don't. I can tolerate being inside this cage for so long, but I won't get inside it again, - she wasn't happy to hear that Terry wanted to keep her in it, to say the least. To be fair, she was genuinely pissed off, - So you will give my that stabilizer and let me out.

\- And you will behave?

\- I turned for your help, Batman! - she exclaimed annoyingly, pointing at her mass that faded by another quarter, - If I wanted you dead, you would be. Right now you have me, just like anyone else had before you - completely at your mercy, - she slowly realised her position and changed her tone to a one of complete defeat, - ...again.

\- I am not a big fan of slavery, Inque...and when I said I will help you, I will kept my word, but! - he quickly continued when she tried to retort, - I need to know if I can trust you. You will not know the secret identities or the location we are at, but I don't want you to trash this place for the second time.

\- I won't. If it means something, you have my word - for now, I will not do anything against you and will be on your side, - she took a pause to look at her mass, which was dissolving rapidly, - If it won't work out as we both probably want - we will start it all over again.

\- Do you really want to start it all over?

\- ...no. But it's not my choice to make.

\- You are wrong, - Terry took two stabilizer bottles and walked towards the cage. Inque quickly dropped from the table and followed him, - It's your choice always, - Terry opened all five trays, putting the stabilizers inside the trays and taking steps back, with arm crossed on his chest.

Inque was quick - she jumped in, took the first bottle with her and entered her mass. The mass started to swirl inside, and from it a tentacle extended towards the second bottle, quickly opening it and carefully apply it all over the mass till the last drop. After long minutes of waiting Inque slowly crawled out of the cage and she finally started returning to her human form. While the process was slow, she at least stopped dissolving and it felt like she returned to at least fraction of her power, as she was testing herself - stretching her arms and legs, changing shapes and sizes, even tested her blade-arm on the ground, leaving a scratch on it. It wasn't ideal, though - she lost a lot of mass and now she was even shorter than Batman remembered her from the last encounters, with more androgynous rather than famine form. Sure, she wasn't able to stretch as far as she previously could, shapeshifting also took more precious seconds, but she quickly discarded her negative thoughts while constantly clenching her fists back and forth, just to feel herself again:

\- ...maybe it is, - she finally said, returning to her human form and looking at Batman seriously, - Did you find out what is happening to my daughter?

\- I am still trying to figure this out.

\- You are bad at lying, you know that? - she approached him slowly before asking, - At least tell me, is she alright?

\- For now.

\- Don't make me~

\- I will tell you soon enough, Inque, - Terry quickly interrupted her, - I have an accomplice that watches her condition and digs into it. That's all I will tell right now.

\- Fine...and you probably don't want me to visit her? - she crossed her arms together, looking at Batman with a grim expression on her face.

\- At least for now. We have to figure out what is happening to her, and even more, how to stop her being a target...that's what I forgot to ask - how you managed to arrive to manor before the attack?

\- Learned it from the street and pushed the right people...just as you did. It has to do something with the...train wreck, right?

\- Yeah, the weapons, suits and other tech got into black market after the supposed sabotage, - Terry nodded at the Batcomputer and walked to it, quickly opening the files he had right now, - I thought it was your work at first.

\- I won't take revenge on my daughter, Batman, - she said, walking towards the large monitor and quickly reading the info, while pressing one of her hands on Batman's shoulder, - ...the official version talks about computer parts, that means they are covering the sabotage from the press, if weapons were stoled instead.

\- The police already looking into it, but no one know how many weapons and other crazy things went to black market.

\- ...that means someone can try it again, - she slowly clenched her fist, but realized that she was holding Batman's wounded shoulder when he growled, - ...sorry.

\- Someone can try it again even without weapons - your daughter is a walking "Rob Me" sign, thanks to her large credit deposit, - Terry slowly rose up and walked away from the Batcomputer towards medical table, carefully touching his shoulder to find out that it was dislocated.

\- My credit deposit, - Inque came to Terry, looking at his shoulder and poking it herself to see the reaction, - Left her so much money just so she could become a target...I am very good mother.

\- At least you don't want to kill her...despite her attempt to kill you, - Terry growled through his teeth when Inque was poking at his shoulder where it was dislocated, - And that says a lot.

\- Maybe, - she slowly rose her left arm and wrapped herself around his shoulder, quickly pushing it back before releasing. Terry only growled a little louder, and took the bandages that Inque got from the table, - There. Anything else?

\- Where you learned that? - Terry nodded Inque slightly while he took the bandages.

\- Had the experience...you won't dress it here, right?

\- Yeah, sudden case of shyness.

\- And you going to leave me here? - she chuckled a bit, looking around the Batcave, - Of course not, but we have to find a way to find a solution to~, - she fell silent as she saw Batman waving the all-to-familiar "batbag", - Son of a...

* * *

\- ...you just dropped her?! - asked Max surprisingly.

\- I had no other bright ideas, so, yeah, I had to drop her in a remote location with a promise to pick her up at another place tonight, after I talk to commissioner, - Terry sighed, rubbing his nose-bridge, - She doesn't know where Batcave is, I made sure of that.

\- ...what you will tell Wayne when he arrives tomorrow?

\- Truth? Isn't that obvious that I need his help to deal with...all that? - Terry made a slight pause, thinking about his experience with Inque this night, - ...at least she helped even when she was weakened, and maybe she can help more.

\- Whoa-whoa, McGinnis, don't rush like that into that...femme fatale. She maybe helpful, but you know what she did.

\- Yeah...but don't you think that I should give her a chance?

\- Maybe, but...it's just too dangerous to keep one of the world's dangerous criminal that close.

\- Keep your friends close, but enemies - closer...I will keep her closer and ask Wayne for advice.

\- Terry, this is really dangerous, - Max said in a very concerned tone, - I am not just worried, I am terrified, because the moment she decided to switch sides...you won't be ready.

\- ...I know, Max, - Terry answered quietly than usual, - I know...I will try not to do anything stupid when I around her.

\- And remember about Monday, Terry. Batman should protect Gotham, but McGinnis had to graduate...and he has yet to call his mother because he probably forgot about it.

\- What I would do without you, Max?

\- Probably something stupid...take care, Terry.

This night would be busy, Terry knew it somehow, and he had to take a long nap before coming to meet with Gordon. To make things more dramatic than it should be, rain started to pour down...which reminded Terry Inque's relationship with water, He decided to take more more stabilizers, just in case, and went meet with Gordon on the roof of GCPD. He warned her about his arrival, and she quickly got on the roof along with her husband, Sam Young, a district attorney of Gotham City who had lots of enemies and countless assassination attempts. He was holding the umbrella for Barbara, who looked really annoyed. Terry quickly jumped from the Batmobile and quickly approached the couple:

\- Commissioner. DA, - Terry nodded slightly to both of them.

\- We have a problem, - Barbara frowned, looking at her husband, - Tell him.

\- Someone is pushing the inspectors and even my office to stall the investigation, - Sam Young was looking nervously around, - Some of my ADA's even disappeared without a trace when I ordered them with this case against "Wayne-Powers".

\- Those morons you dropped us provided vital information about a deal that will happen in three days - a shipment of weapons from this train will leave the city via old Gotham harbor, - Barbara shook her head, trying to get her thoughts together, - And I learned that someone is pushing my men to leave the police work and join new PMC called "New Dawn".

\- That PMC was formed recently, but it got a lot of support in terms of providing...services, - explained DA, glancing at Barbara with a distressed look, - And they are pushing their interest in Gotham City, trying to get the right to provide protection for local departments.

\- They are trying to push us out of the city, and no one can do a damn thing! - Barbara raised her tone for a moment, looking furiously at Batman for some seconds before she managed to calm down, - What do you have?

\- A splicer-gang that was arrested yesterday was dealing with some group that had access to high-tech chemicals, and they were dealing for a long time - the splicers got the chemicals in exchange for espionage and assassination, - Terry crossed his arms on his chest, looking straight at Barbara, - I have no info on that group for now, but I will look into it...and into "New Dawn".

\- You have to look fast, Batman - "New Dawn" is gathering a lot of support, and I am afraid they will try to take over the GCPD, - said DA worryingly.

\- Not on my watch. Anything else?

\- I will overlook your new acquaintance, if she will behave like you, - Barbara looked at Terry with a pessimistic expression on her face and really accusing glare. It was hard to hide something from commissioner, especially when she was good at putting pieces together, - Maybe you could use her for now to prevent the crisis, but when it's over...we will have a talk.

\- We will. Commissioner, DA, - Terry quickly returned to Batmobile and headed towards the rendezvous point, where Inque supposedly was waiting for him.

Turns out, she was there, and she looked mad as hell when Batman opened the hatch to let her inside. Without hesitation Inque took place behind Terry and took a prepared stabilizer:

\- Next time find a place where I can take cover more easily from the rain, - she mumbled, slowly stretching her arms.

\- Next time. Do you know something on "New Dawn"?

\- Heard something - they are new PMC popped out of nowhere with very advanced gear and funding, - she leaned forward looking at panorama of the city, - But beside that, nothing else - I haven't established my connections with the underground after my escape.

\- Commissioner knows, that you started working with me, - said Terry, quickly glancing at navigation computer.

\- ...oh. And? - she leaned even closer, resting her arms at his shoulders in impudent manner.

\- And if you will behave at least like me, she will overlook you...for now.

\- Gotta give her some points for being open-minded, - she sighed, getting off Batman's shoulders and asking more seriously, - What's our next step?

\- Patrol the city, nothing more.

\- What, you won't work on train wreck or "New Dawn"?

\- The shipment of weapons from that train wreck will depart from the city in several days, we will intercept it later, - retorted Terry glancing over his shoulder, - As for "New Dawn"...we need careful approach with them.

\- You can always ask me. It's not like I don't have experience in corporate sabotage and espionage, - she chuckled a little, moving to the side of Batmobile to watch the streets from above. She went silent for a while, watching Terry checking police frequency and alarm signals before asking, - ...what do you get from that?

\- Meaning.

\- Being Batman is your meaning? No pride, no glory - just like that?

\- ... you said that we will talk about your past, and now you trying to dig mine, - Terry glanced at Inque quickly, continuing his patrol over Gotham, - Let's say, that if you tell me your past, I will tell you mine.

\- You will keep that word?

\- I will, - Terry looked back at Inque and seriously nodded.

\- In that case...let's wait for this moment to come, - she agreed with a slight nod of her head, - But still, we better work on something related to those cases you have...we have.

\- The splicers are in prison, along with the team that assaulted your daughter, and there are no other leads available for us right now.

\- ...actually, there are, - Inque carefully leaned forward, glancing at Batman with one eye, - I know at least several black market traders that specialized in selling high-tech gear, and considering how well that group was equipped, somebody must know something - all those traders are well connected to each other.

\- Where are they?

\- I like when you don't waste time, - she grinned before continuing, - I will give you directions, go to industrial zone four at mid-Gotham for now.

The industrial zones of the city were something that Gotham was both proud of and shamed for. New advancements in technology made it possible to build safe-to-use factories, plant, refineries, you name it - it was all nice on the surface, making it possible to create jobs for variety of people. The downside was corporate greed that kept pushing people into new form of slavery - low salary, very dangerous working conditions, unpayed mandatory overtimes and other means of control kept corporations stupid rich while hopeless people spend decades trying to get by. Sometimes justice prevailed in one scenario, but one or two closed down factories with large payments and massive backlash was not enough. Such places also could be used for illegal trafficking of material or be targets for insane raids, like it was when new Jokerz tried to steal circuit boards for Joker.

\- You sure he is still working here? - Terry and Inque were on a rooftop, watching closely at small private warehouse, where many workers were busy with moving packages from warehouse to trucks, running machined back and forth for at least an hour without a break.

\- I am, - she took her Inque from, watching creepily from behind the cover while her body formed a solid ball, from which she extended her head, - GCPD wasn't even looking here while they were busting other traders several weeks ago.

\- What can you tell me about this...

\- He calls himself Clairvoyant Seagull, ex-military, but don't let that name and occupation fool you - he was kicked out of the army for selling arsenal equipment to highest bidder, and he haven't seen any combat action outside of the street, - Inque leaned a bit forward, looking with her periscope vision at the workers at warehouse, - That warehouse belongs to him, where he spends his days working for public and trading with others...and here he is, near the gate number four.

\- ...the walking fashion disaster? - Terry quickly found the Seagull with Inque's direction. He was an adult man in clothes with man pockets and utility belts all over his body, with two holsters for laser pistol and at least two knife scabbards, all done in strict military fashion.

\- Exactly...Look, he is leaving.

\- Yeah, I see it, - Terry zoomed in a bit to see that Seagull was holding his aerocar keys. He quickly reached for his utility belt and took out a small tracking beacon, which he gave to Inque, - You need to...

\- I got it, but you better give me something to communicate with you.

\- Yeah, good point, - soon Terry gave her a small earpiece which she absorbed inside her along with the tracking beacon.

\- Stay out of sight, as far as you can - he maybe an idiot, but he's a cautious idiot, - with that words Inque quickly dropped down while Terry returned to Batmobile.

She was right - Seagull was not just cautious, but paranoid. He changed several aerocars, used the subway three times and even managed to get from one taxi in just several seconds. But Inque was a pro, Terry got to admit it - she managed to stay out of sight and tail him through all Seagull's shenanigans. When he finally arrived, Inque quickly followed behind the Seagull, whispering on the radiolink:

\- Look's like our Seagull stole enough money to get himself an apartment in upper Gotham...that's interesting.

\- What? - Terry was moving towards the location, guided by tracking beacon on navcomputer.

\- Our friend just got a call, and he's moving faster than before to his box...I'll get closer. He lives on the...fourth floor, the one with open balcony and stupid looking yellow deck chair.

\- Don't let him spot...oh, yeah.

\- I was about to rant about being offended, you know...got closer to him, increase the volume.

\- Yeah, we can talk, that line is secured...I know about them too, and, if you remember, I told you - do not sell that stuff to them! - while Terry was listening to Seagull's conversation, he reached the location and dropped down from the Batmobile, activating optical camo and gliding down. The "stupid looking deck chair" Inque mentioned quickly got Terry's attention, since...it was stupid looking with all those smiley faces on it, - ...what, it's my fault now that you screwed up? You are really have some nerves to call me, demand my help and...shut it! - when Terry silently dropped down on the balcony, he saw Seagull walking around his small room and shouting violently, - Shut! It! You sold them that stuff, and it is gonna be your ass in jail for a lifetime sentence!...yeah?...Ok, look, I'll think about it, but you better have clean money ready, because I don't do charity...depends, because I have to look into how screwed you are...yeah, none taken, but be ready to leave Gotham the moment I call you...don't thank me, - Seagull ended the call and threw the telephone into the wall with a yell full of anger.

\- Now it's the time to take him. Good cop/bad cop routine? I want to be the bad one.

\- Not surprised, Inque...on three. Three!

As Terry charge through the glass, turning optical camo off, Inque quickly slithered across the floor towards the Seagull. He only yelped from surprise because Inque already was wrapping herself around him tightly, even closing his mouth. Grabbing Seagull by his shirt, Terry lifted him into the air and smashed against the wall:

\- Guess you couldn't predict that, Seagull...I need information on your friend you were talking with.

\- L-look! - Inque allowed herself to drop from his mouth, but she closed enough to Seagull's eyes, menacingly hanging down from the forehead, - I-I don't know what you are..., - Seagull suddenly muffled from surprise and fear when Inque forced herself inside his throat.

\- Inque! - Terry even made step backwards from her sudden move, already reaching the back of his utility belt for electrical batarang.

\- I moved just enough to stop at the entrance of this liars throat, and he still has the nose to breath...for now, - Inque slowly moved around to face the Seagull, looking at him with her white emotionless oval, - So, if you lie again, I will get inside you and tear your stomach apart.

\- ...She is very pissed off right now, and you better cooperate, - Terry quickly played along, - Inque, let him speak.

\- As you wish, - she slowly retracted herself from Seagulls throat, - But you better talk. Now.

\- F-Fine, Christ, fine! - he coughed for a while, looking completely pale and terrified, - It was Running Danni, he was the one that sold weapons to some newcomers that stormed the manor, - he stopped for a while, trying to collect his breathing before he could continue, - I warned to not sell weapons to those hotheads, that he should wait for a more serious buyer, but he was running low on cash and make a stupid decision...he's now hiding, somewhere in the city, don't have any idea where - he uses burn-phones.

\- What about the train wreck? - Terry crossed his arms together, and Inque squeezed Seagull just a little bit to make him talk faster.

\- A gift from heavens, that's what every last dealer thinks - corporate-grade weaponry and gear is near impossible to come buy, and now market filled with those items.

\- Examples? - Inque asked with a dangerously polite voice.

\- Laser rifles and pistol, upgrades for them, exoskeleton plasma casters, exosuit parts, full-body type four combat armor, jammers, spikes, EMP's, portable proxy-servers, radars...the list goes on.

\- Do you know why gangs ceased their activity? - asked Batman now.

\- They are testing new gear, - Seagull licked his lips nervously, - They spend lots of money to buy that stuff, and now they are trying to use it...some say they have some sort of instructors to teach them, but I don't know any details.

\- What about shipment from the city?

\- You think it's weapons? - Seagull laughed nervously, - I have my sources, they say that something, instead, is coming into the city with that shipment. Maybe it will be a trade, maybe it's a decoy, I have no freaking clue.

\- ...guess we are done here, - said Batman, reaching for his handcuffs, but Seagull quickly started to talk again.

\- L-look, maybe sometimes I am an idiot, but I know that those weapons and gear are no freaking joke. I was dealing with custom-made stuff, but it's something top tier, Batman...look, let's have a deal instead, huh?

\- Assuming I am even listening...

\- I can give you that guy, Danni, on a plate and send him to GCPD, I can do it, - Seagull watched nervously as Inque was moving right above his eyes, - He will talk, a lot, and I will search for others who deal with those weapons. All I ask, is to not give me over the cops, Gordon and DA will skin me alive for illegal trading and recidivism.

\- And I should trust you because?...

\- Because I will sell you out other guys, give you connections! - he nervously gulped when Inque formed around his nose, like a predator ready to pounce, - You will make me profit, and I will give you dangerous clients who want to go all out big.

\- ...let's say I said "yes", - Terry walked to Seagull, glaring at him menacingly, - I will let you go this time, but don't even think about double-crossing me.

\- And if you think you could disappear, I will track you down personally, - Inque squeezed Seagull again, this time a bit harder.

\- Is that clear?

\- Y-yes, yes!

\- Get Running Danni into GCPD and try to dig on that shipment, Seagull, - Terry turned away towards the balcony, walking out of the room win Inque quickly dashing behind him, - I will contact you soon.

With those final words, Batman and Inque went up, towards the waiting Batmobile, disappearing into the night.

* * *

\- Whatever is going on around, it's something really big, - Batman and Inque were now on a rooftop of some old building in lower Gotham. She returned to her human form, looking troubled and more serious than ever, - And it's all part of one picture...and we maybe missed some pieces of it.

\- I will dig around, and maybe you should too...for now, take this, - Terry glanced at his visor and reached the secure package with stabilizers, giving them to Inque, - I put more in case of emergency.

\- Thanks..., - she reached for the package and after some consideration she gave Terry back both tracking beacon and radiolink, - I wanted to keep them for myself, but that's not how the trust works, right?

\- ...you earned a little of it now, - Terry took the devices and walked towards the Batmobile, jumping inside the cockpit and taking the control levers.

\- When...when you gave that to me, it felt...different, - she approached him just in time Terry was about to close the cockpit. She opened the package and counted down eight autoinjectors with a genuine surprised look on her face, - ...a lot more different from when other's.

\- They never gave you much?

\- It was about trying to survive from one injection to another...and being on a short leash with those things, - she glanced at Batman with a serious and grateful look, - We had a...bad start.

\- That's one oversimplification...but I know what you mean, - Terry looked back at Inque, who was just standing there, not knowing what to do, - It's all up to you, but if it will make it easier...you made first steps.

\- But the road is long, - she sighed silently.

\- It's not long. It's endless, - he was about to close the cockpit, but Inque asked one last question.

\- And is it worth it?

\- That's for you to decide. For me...it's more than worth it, - he closed the Batmobile and raised to the skies towards the Batcave, leaving Inque alone on the rooftop, who watched him closely before Batmobile disappeared completely.

* * *

 **I always was fascinated with the idea of heroes and villains working together, there were times in comic books when Edward Nigma was private investigator and worked with Batman, there were times when Poison Ivy was on Batman's side, even Bane was fighting alongside with Batman. The union of such different characters adds such dynamic you never knew it could be even possible to achieve.**

 **But those are really rare cases, because for the convenience of the plot villains and heroes must stay where they are, without major changes. Considering how many parallels comic books had with historical mythology, it's true to the very core, because gods from Greek pantheon were also static in terms of development, for example. Loki from Northern mythology also was an example of static character who never asked himself - even after fails and defeats - about his agenda.**

 **Some of the comic book stories went forward in terms of this in self-contained stories, like Watchmen, where characters were complicated and were changing not only because of outside force, but also because of inner self, such as Comedian and Ozymandias** **.**

 **That is my idea. The changing of the character due to outside force AND due to inner self. Some things should the way they are, can't deny that, but some things and characters can change, even should. After reading all the stuff about Inque, I saw a potential for her, which still is in constant conflict with her old self despite her desire to break the vicious circle.**

 **Of course, that's not all to it. You probably realized that I dumped down all B:B comic book stories. While it is true to some degree, I left some things for future plot, which is slowly unfolding before your very eyes. And to make it good would be a really hard task.**

 **I should probably take a break and have long sleep, because three hours were not enough.**

 **Oh, one thing to tease you. Next chapter - Bruce Wayne. I am praying to altar of Kevin Konroy to make him right.**


	3. Barbastella

**Hello there!**

 **I had a blast with this one, but it also took longer to make. I am not 100% sure that I made it all right and how I exactly want, but here it is anyway.**

 **But enough about boring stuff, we have a plot here!**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

\- ...let me think for a moment.

Bruce Wayne arrived with Ace in the morning, right before the college, and Terry only got the time to drive Wayne back to the manor. After the classes Terry returned to Batcave to tell Bruce everything that happened in his absence, as detailed as possible. While listening, Wayne just looked at Terry without asking any questions..at least for now. When Terry finished his report, Bruce was thinking inside his chair, checking Batcomputer for more data about Inque's samples, police reports, recorded videos from Terry's Batsuit and notes that Terry made himself to keep a track on things. Ace was nearby, demanding pets from Terry:

\- Let's start with Inque, - Bruce finally turned in his chair towards McGinnis, - It was a hard choice to make, and accepting her plea for help was right move...but getting her involved in your investigation is outright dangerous, despite the fact that her motive is to protect her daughter by assisting you.

\- And what should I do?

\- ...wish I had the right answer, - Wayne rubbed his chin thoughtfully, - If you will keep her closer, she could use that to her advantage at critical moment...and if you will not, she could turn to her previous life again, - Bruce glanced at Terry for a moment before continuing, - Considering the information you provided, her talents and abilities could make a large difference.

\- So either of our options are dangerous and could go wrong, - Terry crossed arms on his chest, looking at Wayne sceptically. Ace quickly reacted and pulled Terry by his sleeve, demanding the continuation of pats.

\- It's never easy to be Batman, - said Wayne with a slight grin on his face, returning to Batcomputer, - You did a good job with the stabilizers. Crude, but they will keep her for a while I will see into her condition.

\- You want to heal her? - Terry even came closer to Wayne, looking at the formulas he studied.

\- Stabilize her, to be exact, and for a much longer period of time...her condition is a leverage that could be exploited to subdue her, and if we remove this leverage..., - Bruce glanced at Terry, expecting him finish the sentence.

\- ...she will have a chance to change? Is that...possible?

\- My experience tells me "No", - Bruce answered quickly, returning to the monitor, - But that doesn't mean that we have to give up on her case when she is willing to make a first step. That's something I haven't seen for a long while...that doesn't mean we will trust her, but we have to try.

\- It's because of Freeze, isn't it? - asked Terry straightforward. Wayne glanced at him with a look that answered the question more than Terry hoped for, and he quickly changed the subject, - Ok, but what about her daughter?

\- She is a leverage too, - Bruce quickly brought up the dossier about Deanna Clay and studied it for a short while, - And her condition connected directly to Inque, the question is - how..., - Bruce fell silent, staring at the monitor for a whole minute before he continued, - Tell Max to dig into Aaron Herbst files.

\- What for?

\- Inque used probably the same chemical compounds on him that was used on her, but in lesser dosage or potency, - Bruce already brought up Aaron's dossier, and Terry could help but cringe for a moment when he saw the state, which Inque put Aaron in, - And considering that he is under constant surveillance and medical treatment, his medical data could be useful. I will also look into other files, but this could take time...let's move from her case for now, I want to discuss your newly acquired asset.

\- Here we go..., - sighed Terry wearily, preparing for the worst.

\- Making a contact in criminal world is a dangerous act, Terry, which could be proved useful in short-term...in a longer run, those contact will try to get rid of you when they shrug off your intimidation, - Bruce leaned inside his chair, thinking about something for a while, - Let this...

\- Seagull.

\- Seagull, be your source of information for a while. When this is over, bust him and throw behind the bars.

\- Got it. What about the black market?

\- We need to get that shipment and as many perpetrators as we can. Did Barbara contacted you?

\- Yes, she wants to speak tomorrow night about the raid, - nodded Terry.

\- Speak with her and follow her plan - she has the experience you lack...the splicers could be moved from the priorities for now, they are in hiding and their numbers are dwindling, but I am more interested in the group that was trading with those splicers...they probably send their instructors to gangs of Gotham too.

\- Maybe they preparing them for all-out war, - Terry suggested while looking at police reports.

\- They definitely are. The question is, will it be against the Gotham or themselves...the "New Dawn" is too dangerous too investigate without preparation, leave them to me to investigate.

\- And what options do we have now?

\- Patrol for tonight, - Bruce turned in his chair to face Terry, looking at him seriously, - And nothing more. I know that you want to jump into action, but it's the time to wait.

\- Waiting is always the hard thing, - Terry sighted, going to the Batmobile to suit up, but he suddenly stopped at his tracks and turned back to face Bruce, - What about Inque?

\- You left her enough stabilizers, and my advice would be not use her any further...which I know you will ignore at some point, - Bruce returned to Batcomputer, setting everything up for tonight, - So you better know what you are doing.

\- ...I hope I know too.

* * *

For Inque, her first night was calm, but she wasn't sure what to do when Batman left her. The answer, though, came from her criminal instincts to fresh up her connections with the underground world. Batman doesn't need to know what she is doing in her free time, but something also warned her to not make contacts with certain people, stalk them rather. Her second night was much more active - she had a lot of time before her next meeting with Batman, and she used that time wisely to tail some targets of her own for a while to understand how much Gotham changed with her absence. Surprisingly, it changed a lot in some aspects - mostly because of Batman, who kept pressing criminal left and right along with the GCPD and DA. But that all was her free time when she wasn't on guard duty.

Batman told her not to see her own daughter, and to Inque's irritation, he was right - she was not ready to see Deanna just yet, but what she could do is to watch her over from afar. She was sick, moving around the manor only with someone else's help, and doctors kept coming and examining her. It was so tempting to catch one of those doctors and press enough to get all the information...but that would be stupid. She left her only when she was sure that nothing bad will happen, and she wasn't around for far too long, quickly coming back to Deanna's manor. Something was building inside Inque, slowly, as bricks of thoughts formed a foundation for answer she was looking for, while thinking a lot about herself, her daughter and what to do with all that happened between them. In fact, she was so lost in her thoughts that she was startled when Batman called her:

\- Can't leave her?

\- ...y-yes, - she sighed, coming out of shadows and taking her human form, - I wasn't visiting her, but not because you told me...it's because I am not ready.

\- You still don't want to talk about it?

\- ...soon, Batman. Trust is something that earned, as you said, - she glanced back at Deanna's manor one last time before asking, - What is the plan for tonight? - she reached for the package of stabilizers, holding them tightly in her hand.

\- Nothing special, - Terry walked towards the Batmobile and jumped in, with Inque quickly taking her place behind his seat, hiding the stabilizers in it, - And tonight we have someone working with us, - Terry closed the cockpit of Batmobile and turned it towards the upper Gotham.

\- Your old man? And here was I wondering if he hit the bucket.

\- I can hear you, Inque, - Wayne responded on radiolink, without the video-transmission.

\- I know you can, - she leaned backwards, resting her arm on Batman's shoulders, - What can I call you?

\- Gray Ghost will suffice.

\- Fine, Ghost...seems like you are the one in charge, - she looked at navcomputer, where she saw a beeping signal. Inque pointed Batman at it, but he already changed the direction towards it.

\- Glad we cleared that out...Batman, you picked it?

\- Yeah. What is it?

\- Alarm from the bank. Primary security cameras are offline, but secondary are up...interesting, I am transmitting the feed.

\- ...Royal Flush? - Terry and Inque watched on the small screen as several criminals, dressed in black and white, were dealing with the electronic and mechanical lock on the main vault. What also was weird about that, is the fact that their suits looked really armored.

\- Take a closer look, - Inque pointed at the uniform, especially at the numbers that those criminals had at the back and front parts of their suits, - Counts from one to nine, but no main deck.

\- The main deck in the prison or gave up on crime life. Those are impostors, but you can never be sure, - Bruce was working from his side, and soon he switched the camera feed, - Take a closer look at their gear. It's the same that was used in assault at Deanna's manor.

\- I am more worried about those hydroabrasive cutters, - Inque pointed at two men who were using large bulky backpacks with big canisters. They were holding large tube, from which Terry could see a powerful stream of water coming out of the end of the tube, piercing through metal.

\- In English?

\- Highly pressurized water streams that comes out at high speed with abrasive material, - explained Wayne, - New portable models could pierce plasteel fifty centimeters thick. On the other hand, they don't have much of effective range.

\- Got it, - Terry reached for the communicator, dropping one for Inque before continuing, - Did the GCPD responded to alarm?

\- They should have. Try to hold them off before they arrive - even with Inque, you are outnumbered and their equipment could surprise you.

\- Stealth approach. Shall we count? - Inque asked, glaring at Batman's reflection with a slight grin on her face.

\- It's not a competition, Inque, - said Terry without any second thought.

\- You are no fun, you know that?...I am still going to count, though.

When they arrived, Inque turned into her second form and dropped with Batman on the roof. The bank was a small one and plain looking, in fact you could count dozens of such banks everywhere. Quickly dashing towards the stairway, Inque and Terry went to the main hall of the bank, where they took cover. Inque, seeing the opportunity, slithered to the ceiling and hid in the shadows, while Terry turned on optical camo and took a look from his position. The bank's main hall was mostly empty, but the main hall was guarded by four Royal's - two were at the entrance, watching the street, and the other two were pointing laser weapons at security guards who were in the center of the hall. Another one of the Royal's was inside the corridor that led to the vault, which meant one thing - they had to deal with five for now.

\- Counted five for now, - Terry said quietly, - Two at entrance, two holding the guards, one at the vault entrance.

\- You have to save those security guards first. If they spot you or Inque, they will use them against you, if not outright execute them, - said Wayne on the radiolink.

\- I can deal with those two, but you better save those guards when I do it, - responded Inque, changing her shape and position on the ceiling a bit.

\- ...I got an idea. Be ready on my signal, - Terry silently dropped down from his position to ground floor, looking at guards in front of him. Rolling from the sleeve several smoke tablets, Terry pressed himself his back and his right foot against the wall, - On three...three!

Terry threw the tablets in the wide arc and pushed himself off the wall with two legs, activating suit's thrusters. Inque dropped down on two Royal's as large black arch, pushing them and their weapons to the floor while Terry flew under Inque and grabbed guards by their ropes, flying with them out of the smoke inside the corridor. Quickly releasing them from the ropes, he pointed them to leave the place at call the police, returning to main hall under optical camo.

Meanwhile Inque choked both of her targets just enough to make them unconscious, but soon the smoke was penetrated by laser fire, effectively piercing her from multiple directions. It wasn't bad, but the laser fire did damage to her, despite the fact that she regenerated some of it. She grabbed two unconscious Royal's and tossed them outside of the building, smashing the windows with their bodies and disappearing in the air vent before smoke dissipated.

\- What was that?!

\- Batman, that's what was it!...yeah, we got Bat's here! Get your asses out there!

\- Oh, now I am Batman? - Inque asked with a slight growl of pain, - Ouch...those lasers hurt more than I thought...and by the way, two.

\- You should avoid getting under fire - your cellar structure is unstable, - Bruce replied to her.

\- Hey, I am a fast learner here, - she tried to suppress the moan from another surge of pain, and she failed miserably, - ...but thanks for advice anyway.

Meanwhile, from the vault emerged four more Royals, and now they quickly divided into several groups - two were still at entrance, another two were now holding the entrance to the vault, two more went upstairs to have a height advantage, and the one with the "nine" on his back, who was inside the combat suit, was looking around the place, checking corners:

\- Bats, come out! I will kick your ass so hard you will fly to the Metropolis in a second!

\- I got right above the one with the cutter, - Inque said on the radio, - But the other one looking at him from time to time and too far for me. Batman?

\- Yeah, I see him, - Terry took cover behind computer desk and prepared two batarangs, - Ready.

Inque dropped down immidiately, covering the poor Royal with herself. The other one on upper level and two at entrance quickly noticed this, but Terry threw both batarangs - explosive one above those at entrance and flashbang one to the Royal at upper level.

\- What?...fire! - the Number Nine pointed at Terry and pointed his wrist at Batman, releasing the laser stream. The other two at entrance started to fire too, one with his laser rifle and another was was closing in with a cutter from the side.

\- Should've stayed in a deck, - Terry rolled to the side, quickly releasing a batarang towards the Nine, hitting his wrist and changing the direction of laser beam. But suddenly he heard Inque's sudden scream, and that second of hesitation cost him of taking a shot to the chest area.

When she dropped down, she tried to knock out the Royal quickly, but he managed to activate his cutter, which pierced right through her and weakened her grip. Coughing, the Royal took several steps away from Inque, but he quickly turned around to face her. Without wasting any time, he pushed the button and activated the cutter again, piercing Inque's mass and making her scream even more...but suddenly the pressure dropped down - Terry managed to fire a batarang and cut the pipes from the main tube. Inque made quite a roar of anger, rising up and continuing the fight on upper level. It was a quick one - grab the thug, connect his head with the wall two times, threw him to the Royal that Batman stunned before, and choke them both a little.

\- Two more.

Two Royals at entrance already shook from the explosion and were about to fire when Batman closed in on them. In close combat Terry had better chances, and those two Royals were dispatched quickly - one went outside of the street, and another one flew into Nine, pinning him down for a short while. But he forgot about the one Royal that went from the side, but he quickly remembered him when he screamed from the hit of electrical baton. The thug stepped on Batman's chest with one foot, while another one was pinning his left arm and pointed the tube of the cutter right at Batman's face. Terry reacted in a split second, grabbing the tube with right arm and turning it away from his head just in time. Still, the tube was closing in, to the point where it started to contact with helmet's outer layer, stripping it down. But it wasn't for long - Inque stormed in, cutting the pipes and delivering a serious blow the thug's forehead, knocking him outside of the bank.

\- One more, - she said, but suddenly she flew out too with a surprised scream - Nine was able to stand up and shot a small rocket inside Inque. The explosion contused Terry for a short while, and while he was getting his thoughts back, something hit him in the back of his head, smashing his face inside the wall while also delivering a powerful electrical surge. The suit managed to deal with some of it, but Terry felt weakened, limping on the floor with Nine standing over him.

\- I would love to stay and finish both of ya, but the cops are closing in, - Nine said, kicking Batman with his armored foot before running away. When Terry got up, Nine already disappeared in the stairway to the roof, but that's not was the problem.

Inque couldn't gather herself after the explosion. She tried to, and failed one attempt after another, she couldn't even talk sensibly - all words were gargled mess that came out of her.

\- Call the Batmobile to my position, - Terry called Wayne while approaching Inque.

\- Already there, - the Batmobile was already descending, - We'll talk in the cave. Take examples of their gear.

* * *

\- So, what's the diagnosis? - Inque tried to sound as usual, but she felt constant pain. Terry got her inside the bag while administrating large does of stabilizers, and now she was on the table with tubes connected to her. While she was resting, Terry was in safe place, dealing with his own wounds and repairing the helmet.

\- I warned you about your structure, but normal lasers would not do such damage, - Wayne was in his Gray Ghost suit, covering himself fully, - Those lasers were upgraded, because you and Batsuit took slight radioactive damage. While the Batsuit is capable of holding against the radiation to some degree,you took that much harder...and I found something interesting in your samples, - Bruce opened up a file and showed Inque the info, - Boron carbide.

\- It was used in the cutters as abrasive, - she quickly followed his thoughts, leaning a bit forward on her table, moaning slightly from the pain.

\- Yes. Such compound is not easy to make even by today's standards, and I doubt that someone sold the boron carbide along with the cutters.

\- Maybe it was stolen before the robbery?

\- I thought so myself...but there were no reports from manufacturers about it being stolen, - Bruce typed something on the Batcomputer while rubbing his chin with free hand, - ...there were legal transactions of it just the day before the robbery.

\- ...not so legal, - Inque tried to extend her arm to point out, but she yelped as it caused her more pain. Her arm even went limp without moving, - D-damn it...

\- Tell me what you know, - Bruce turned a bit to Inque, hiding his look under glasses and gray scarf.

\- Can you zoom into the owner? Because I saw really familiar name there..., - Inque had trouble with her periscope vision to read things, and had to rely on Bruce to help her, - ...The head of this warehouse they sold boron carbide has the connections to black market, - she sighed, leaning back to the table and closing her eyes, - He asks a lot of money for his services, because he deals with expensive legal stuff, paying bribes left and right to make, say...twenty kilos of carbide into fifteen. He can get a lot of things, but it's not cheap, and sometimes it take a lot of time just to make it untraceable to him.

\- ...Batman, come here, - Bruce raised his voice a bit, so Terry could hear him.

\- What is it? - Terry appeared with partially repaired helmet, quickly approaching Bruce with a short glance at Inque.

\- Look at the company that sold the carbide.

\- ..."Wayne-Powers"...you think?...

\- I think we need more evidence first, - Bruce interrupted Terry before he could finish his sentence, - But I don't believe in coincidence. The equipment is also manufactured by "Wayne-Powers", - Bruce nodded towards the table nearby, where was the gear from robbery, disassembled to the last bolt, - Despite the fact that factory numbers were wiped, they still belong to "Wayne-Powers".

\- You think son of the Blight behind it all? - Inque asked while looking at table with the equipment.

\- Could be. He already tried to double-cross me several times, - Terry frowned, but suddenly yawned, - ...crap.

\- You should sleep, - Bruce looked at Terry, and than glanced at Inque, - But we need to deal with her first.

\- Excuse me? - her eyes widened from veiled threat in Bruce's voice.

\- You don't believed that I will let you remain free after your very first...memorable visit? - Bruce rose up from his chair, turning to Inque and correcting a bit his Gray Ghost coat, - I don't take threats lightly, and I don't take you lightly.

\- Like I am in condition to fight, especially with those things nearby, - she pointed at several devices that were designed to pump pressurized water in shotgun manner. Originally used for local fire department, Bruce bought some of those and modified them in event of Inque's second assault on Batcave, and he placed those devices around her, - And this dog, who clearly doesn't like me, - she pointed now at Ace, who was sitting nearby with a water hose in his mouth, ready to press on it anytime. When Inque mentioned Ace, he growled lowly in response.

\- Trust is hardly earned, especially from someone who tried kill Batman several times, - retorted Wayne at her.

\- Alright, I won't argue with that, just...do what you want, - Inque closed her eyes, making out a continuous irritated sigh.

\- How can we put her somewhere if she clearly needs constant medical...chemical care? - asked Terry, since he had no idea what to do in such situations.

\- We won't, - Wayne walked towards Inque, looking straight at her, - We can't. If we put her inside the cage, and her dissolving will trigger chain reaction, we will waste time trying taking you out.

\- Good riddance for you - minus dangerous criminal in the world, no? - she replied sarcastically, looking at ceiling of the cave rather than looking at Wayne.

\- It's not our way...my way. You out of everyone here know, that compassion is a weakness many won't share...and we share, - Inque turned towards Wayne, while looking quite surprised at his words. He stared at her for a moment before continuing, - You are desperately looking for a way out of life that sucked you for decades, and you showed that maybe you can change...but you are not on the other side yet, - he took a look around his collection of variety of trophies before continuing, - ...you can fall back easily. Just one bad day, one critical leverage, one moment of despair - and you are back in, losing all the hope you had before and ruining your life completely, closing inside the cage of desperation and madness, - Wayne took a pause, studying reactions on Inque's face and letting her retort, but she was silent, even depressed by his words, - ...something like that already happened to you. Right now I don't see that you believe in your convictions hard enough to not fall again - that is the reason I do not trust you...but unlike your previous situations, you do have a choice here, - Wayne walked towards the table, where stabilizers were, and grabbed a bunch of them on a medical plate, approaching Inque with them. Inque was bewildered, as Terry was, but soon enough Wayne made it clear, while he also turned off the water turrets and commanded Ace to drop the hose, - You can take the stabilizers, that will keep you for weeks, enough time to deal with us and/or leave to pursue whatever you want - it is the easiest way. Or...you can do it the hard way, by allowing us to study your condition and develop a method to let you off the leash, but that means that you will obey my orders. What would it be?

Inque took a hard look at Wayne, glanced at stabilizers and even sought support from Terry, but he made it clear with his silent pose that it's her own choice. She glanced at stabilizers back, and slowly her right arm rose up, hanging over the medical plate but not yet touching them. Inque clenched her palm constantly for several seconds, desperately thinking about her current situation, and she even placed her hand upon one of the autoinjectors. Closing her eyes, Inque made out a series of short heavy sighs...moved the stabilizer towards Wayne, retracting her arm from the plate.

\- I hope I know what I am doing, by trusting you, - she said nervously, while also shaking a bit.

\- I hope we both know, - Wayne placed plate back on the table, - I will not pushing you into telling your story, but we will start to looking into your condition. You will not like the process, but it is for your own benefit..., - he glanced at her again, - You move from here without my word - you are out, you touch anything here - you are out, you will try anything against me or Batman - we send you to the Justice League in ice lump, because this is your only and last chance. That clear?

\- Yes.

\- Now we can begin.

After the college Max and Terry were at the parking lot. Max, as usual, was busy with her laptop, and Terry was resting after another long day and probably failed test:

\- Is it safe to leave him alone with Inque? - Max was clearly worried about what happened this morning in the Batcave when Terry told her, - I mean, he was Batman, but you can't argue with age...and he is, like, a walking fossil.

\- He wears his exosuit under all that Gray Ghost outfit, - Terry closed his eyes for a moment and yawned again, resting on his bike, - He put some modifications to it, but I hope she won't force him to use it.

\- So...was she helpful?

\- ...yeah, - Terry opened his eyes, staring at cloudy sky, - It's funny thing - when she was on the other side, she was really scary, but right now?...she makes some things much easier, - Terry rose up, stretching his back for a little, - And she knows a lot...teaches a lot. Some things were way out of my head before she pointed them out, and I am sure that it's just scratching the surface.

\- You think she can change? Because I dug up those files on that Aaron guy, and that's some really crazy stuff...brutal even, - she looked at Terry with a slight terror in her eyes, - She can live a normal life, in theory, but this guy? He's ruined, and nothing can help him.

\- That's something we will talk about with her...if she passes our trust-test, - Terry looked at his digital watch and reached for the helmet, starting the engine, - Send Wayne everything you got, Max, I got a new session of berating today.

\- Gordon? - Max chuckled a little.

\- Gordon, - sighed Terry, closing helmet's visor and waving Max before dusting off.

Inque could not even remember that someone tested her that much and with such scientific thoroughness - Wayne was using all the resources he had inside the Batcave, and his experience with other villains conditions proved useful, especially the data on Clayface. Despite the face that the process was different for both Inque and Hagen, they had the same problem of mass degradation. They also shared zero tolerance to water, and further test confirmed that she reacted badly with anything that had water particles in it, while not reacting on many chemicals at all. The files Max send him later also proved useful, but it wasn't enough to make even boldest conclusions. Glancing back at Inque, who wasn't talking until Wayne talked to her first, he asked:

\- Was the formula you used on Aaron same, that was used on you?

\- ...it was, - she frowned and nodded, but Wayne saw how she tensed when he brought up Aaron.

\- If you want me to help you...

\- I will give you the formula, - she quickly interrupted Wayne, who even turned in his chair to face her. She clenched her firsts ad added, - For mass and the process, but it won't be easy to make.

\- Nothing is easy.

It took time for Inque to remember the formula in many details, but Bruce helped her with right questions. His chemistry knowledge surprised Inque, as his other traits she observed during their conversations and watching him work. But while Bruce was studying formula, Inque had a lot of time to observe the cave and think about Gray Ghost, when it suddenly hit her with realization:

\- ...you were the original Batman, - she suddenly spoke after a long pause. Bruce didn't stop typing, but she knew that he tensed from that statement, - It figures - the exosuit, the Cave, the experience...you are the one who retired twenty years ago.

\- And?

\- From what I see, you are much more smarter than the current Batman...not that he is a lost case of stupidity, but he is not a fast learner.

\- You like saying that a lot, - Bruce was studying the sample under the Batcomputers microscope, carefully dropping liquid substances on it.

\- Why you don't train him properly? - she asked impatiently, - You must know a lot, and to me you look like the type that do not like to share, while having vast experience.

\- And you do?

\- I had to, because I wanted him to succeed when you were gone, - she snorted crossly in response, - And I have a feeling that he learns a lot more from me rather than from you.

\- ...your formula is not easy to make, but it's doable, - Bruce finally spoke, returning to Batcomputer, but hearing her irritated snort again, he closed his eyes for a moment before speaking, - Our ways of becoming Batman are different, and we are making the best out of limited time we got...but you are, in a way, right - he needs more training and knowledge.

\- At least we agreed on something...

\- I hope it will be the last time.

Terry arrived at evening, as usual, and he almost forgot to put his mask on before entering the Cave. In fact, Bruce told him to put suit on before entering, as both of them need to hide themselves from Inque. When Terry entered Batcave, Inque was pushing hydraulic press upwards with some tubes attached to her mass, while Batcomputer was registering the results.

\- Sheesh, - she gasped and went limp for a moment, trying to recollect herself, - I am much weaker that I thought.

\- Can you morph into other shapes? - asked Wayne, typing endlessly on Batcomputer.

\- Right now?

\- Right now, - he nodded without even glancing at her, - Try something round.

\- Round it is, - Inque slowly morphed into a ball, but Terry could see that she couldn't morph completely due to mass loss.

\- Now try cube.

\- ...it's a bit harder, - she said after a lot of attemps to shape herself as a cube, but the problem remained still - right under her formed a large mass of goo that wasn't reacting with her body.

\- Batman, gather the samples that are inert, Inque, hold that from for a while.

\- Guess you had a lot of fun while I was out, - Terry approached Inque and gathered her inert mass inside the glass tubes, which he turned over to Bruce, who inserted tubes inside Batcomputer.

\- Try a triangle shape.

\- I hate you so much right n...argh! - she growled as her mass suddenly broke down and she became a pool of goo on the floor.

\- Terry, stabilizer, - Bruce reacted immediately, turning to face Inque. When Terry injected her once, Bruce glanced at the monitor - Inque's tubes were still attached to her gooey form, and he quickly noted, - Make three injections, she broke down a lot.

\- Got it.

\- I am sorry for that, - Bruce said when Inque managed to pop her head out of her mass, looking distressed more than ever, - But this provided vital research for your condition.

\- No freaking way, - she said sarcastically in a weak voice, still trying to gather herself to stand up.

\- ...and it provided a way to deal with that condition, - said Bruce after a pause, still typing formulas on Batcomputer, - But we need a good facility for this operation, and cover up the chemicals we need to buy...I have an idea, but I need time to work on it, for now I can make a better stabilizer and probably your mass, - Wayne looked at Inque for a moment before continuing, - For now I suggest you to rest, even with the stabilizers you can't perform for long under stress.

\- And I have a meeting with commissioner who would not like to see you.

\- Fine, fine, no arguing here, - she finally managed to rose up and sighed, returning to her table and resting on it, - I don't want to see her too. But I hope we can spend this time with something useful.

\- Oh, we definitely will.

Terry called Gordon once again, and after short while she appeared on a roof with her husband again. Both of them were looking not so great, and after short greeting both DA and commissioner were briefing Batman on recent developing:

\- We still can't find the group "Nocturnality" were talking about, and they are really hard to crack, so you can forget about this...the most interesting things we uncovered were about train wreck, - Gordon took her personal data-pad and showed Terry a digital copy of a contract between "Wayne-Powers" and "New Dawn" PMC, - First this, the "New Dawn" was hired to secure the train, and while medical commission confirmed their alibi, I don't trust them. Second - this, - she now showed Terry several pictures of disassembled equipment, - No factory numbers, and those things were not on the manifest.

\- We can't present that to court because we can't connect that equipment with the train - it's not a solid evidence, - Sam Young took his turn to talk, looking at Batman, - But you can.

\- You want me to dig on "Wayne-Powers" and "New Dawn"?

\- We can't press charges if we do not have anything...and right now our only option to get something is to raid the shipment, but after that...yes, we need your help, - Barbara corrected her glasses, strictly looking at McGinnis, - Are you ready to perform in real police work?

\- Got some ideas when you hunted me...that's in the past, I know, - Terry quickly retorted when he saw Barbara's irritated look on her face, - What do you want me to do?

\- First I want you to ask to not patrol Gotham neither today nor tomorrow, - she said straightforward, keeping her arms inside the coat.

\- Can understand why. Second?

\- Second - you have to be on the briefing tonight and tomorrow night.

\- That's new.

\- I know, - she smiled tiredly, - Ready for it?

\- Sure, - nodded Terry, following Barbara inside the GCPD.

While McGinnis had some experience with the police - as a spoiled brat in younger age and as Batman now - and despite the fact that Bruce kept filling him into details how it all worked, learning about it from the inside from the Gordon herself opened many shrouded secrets. Of course the assembled strike team has mixed reactions on Batman - some of them nodded and raised their fists up, being on "Batman-team", some of them were indifferent to Batman's presence, and some...well, they openly asked Gordon why their briefing turned into costume-freak show. Barbara quickly discarded those talks, focusing everyone in the briefing room to the task. Wayne was listening to the briefing too while he was working on Inque's condition, and Inque herself talked with Wayne mostly about chemistry and reactions, but sometimes they had another topic to discuss - Wayne was interested in Inque's connections and working of the underground world of Neo-Gotham, and Inque had questions nearly about anything. When Terry returned from the briefing, he nearly put his mask off put of habit, but Inque's straight glance with a slight grin stopped him just in time.

\- That's the police work, - said Wayne, working at makeshift chemistry lab and wearing an apron with protective gloves over his Gray Ghost suit, - Hard, with a lot of barriers and talking.

\- Some things never change, huh? - Terry even sounded tired, not to mention how he felt after the briefing, - Gordon asked me not to patrol the city until the raid. Thoughts?

\- She is right - you have to be in better shape for it, - Wayne was still mixing components, but he suddenly took a quick glance at Inque, - What do you think?

\- Same. Tired Batman - bad Batman, - she shrugged her shoulders, - And if something happens, he better stay here - the bigger fish right now is more important.

\- I hope nothing major will happen. Gordon said that she has a bad feeling about all of this, - Terry said, crossing his arm together, - And now I am thinking same - the gangs were in hiding for far too long, and new groups emerged after the train wreck.

\- I know, but we have to focus on raid right now...take your time off, try to sleep.

\- Will I be ready for the raid?...oh come on, - Inque made a sour face when she saw how Wayne looked at her, - I want some action, this is what I do best. Besides, we worked a bit together already, he even stopped shrugging when I am moving myself, - Inque pointed at Terry with her tentacle arm suddenly, making Terry take a step back instinctively, - ...maybe not. But the point is that Batman needs all the help he can get...and I want to stretch myself.

\- ...think you can handle her? - Bruce turned to Terry.

\- Can I handle you? - now Terry asked, turning to Inque.

\- I handled you before, so it would be nice for a change, - she grinned at Terry, remembering their previous encounters with each other.

\- I can handle her, - Terry nodded to Bruce and turned towards the exit of Batcave, - I will...return to my place and get some rest, you two behave well.

* * *

With Terry back home for several nights, his family quickly got him to help around the house. Matt, of course, wanted to spend some time with Terry too, and they visited the newly opened amusement park. Virtual reality, simulators, holomovies and other things were designed to draw money from the wallet, though Bruce payed Terry a lot, he learned both from Bruce and his mom how to use them wisely. Matt, of course, called Terry a "stiff", but still they got the night for themselves. In one moment, where Terry watched Matt climbing up an artificial mountain side, he got himself thinking about how it would be turned out if Inque was normal. It was clear that she lost years and years while being a world's dangerous criminal, even for a reason to support the only thing she had left. And, as Terry kept thinking, Inque before the betrayal and after felt different, but Terry wasn't sure how different. Sometimes there were moments when she wasn't hiding behind the mask, revealing what she truly kept inside, and inside was a broken woman who had no idea what to do.

Bruce Wayne thought the same. He analyzed Inque not only from medical side, but from psychological one too, slowly opening her inner demons with the right questions. She wanted to talk, since there was nothing else she could do anyway, and her reactions to some questions were a signals to her mental condition. While she was a sadistic person with perversions on her mind, the inner layer was quite the opposite from what she wanted convince everyone and herself. It was something that reminded Bruce about many others before her, who also sought help from the side or from Batman himself, and this motivated Bruce even more, even if on subconscious level, to succeed to some degree with her. And to achieve that, Bruce was working on the plan behind Inque's back, making right arrangements.

The day of raid finally came after days of waiting and Batman not being around Gotham. Despite how Terry was worried about it, the crime rate was still low enough, and resting with family did good for him. He returned to Batcave in high spirits, and he decided to take Inque with him right away. She was ready for action, as she jumped around the cave towards Batmobile, slithering inside the cockpit to her place behind the seat.

\- But you will stay inside the Batmobile and listen, - Terry warned Inque, starting the ignition sequence and slowly taking off, closing the cockpit and turning all sensors inside completely dark except for navcomputer, - Gordon doesn't need to know that you are here, and you will need to follow the plan.

\- I can be a teamplayer. No killing again?

\- No. Zero. We take as many as we can into police custody for questioning, - Terry kept looking at navcomputer to flew outside from the Batcave.

\- Alright...and you can stop with trying to fool me, it just takes time and I still don't know where you are, despite having some ideas.

Terry decided to not respond on that, and he spend fifteen minutes flying around before he decided to turn all sensors on again, making city visible from the inside. Inque only sighed again and rested her hands on Batman's shoulders all the way towards GCPD, where she listened to Gordon's plan along with Terry and Bruce. She admitted, that Gordon knew, what she was doing, even with the suggestion to let Batman recon the area before the raid and take out most dangerous targets. It all sounded like a plan, and Inque along with Batman were on their way to port area when suddenly Gordon called:

\- Batman, we have a problem, - from the first words Terry and Inque exchanged one's eyes, because Gordon sounded really pissed off, - Ten blocks away from the raid area Jokerz and T's appeared and started a massive shootout, with usage of heavy weapons.

\- Great. How what we do?

\- I hope your brought backup, because we can't spare prepared team for raid, they are dispatched to deal with the shootout...the coast guard will be in place, and I will send you everything I have, but you have to stall them.

\- Will try to. Anything else?

\- No...good luck.

\- Two of us versus God know how many...the odds are really bad for them, - Inque grinned, looking at the coming port area with the large ship already coming inside the abandoned port.

\- Aren't you afraid of water?

\- Add tension. Come one, Batman, it must be at least some joy in what you are doing, - she even bumped his shoulder with her fist a little, but Terry decided to not respond.

The port area kept coming closer, and Batmobile switched to silent running and turning optical camo on. Zooming in on the area, Terry noticed how serious was the operation - Batmobiles sensors picked up at least thirty targets, ten on the ship and twenty all over the port area, armed pretty good for a thugs.

\- They don't have weapons that were stolen from the train wreck, - Inque said, while Terry was looking for a drop point, - ...that's weird. If they are dealing with weapon shipments, why they don't have the same powerful weapons they sell? Why they have common black market stuff?

\- I find it strange too, - agreed Bruce with Inque, - Be careful out there. They might have a surprise under their sleeve.

\- Counting again? - asked Inque, taking radiolink from Terry, - No?...suit yourself, but drop me right on his head, - she pointed at the thug nearby, that went too far away from the group.

\- Remember - no killing or brutalizing.

\- Can't promise last one, - she took the communicator inside her mass and dropped down thorugh the hatch, taking on her Inque form. When she dropped on the thug, she pinned him to the ground and delivered quick blow to the head, quickly hiding him inside the crates, - First one on me.

\- Try to pick those from the perimeter, I'll check the ship, - Terry slowly pointed Batmobile towards the incoming ship, taking it just a bit to the right.

\- About time you said something nice, - Inque took more compact form and started to move in a short jumps across the port.

As Terry approached the ship, he took the Batmobile a bit higher in order to drop down on an old port crane under his own stealth camo. Wayne took control over Batmobile and led it away, while Terry pointed his fingers with sonic enhancers towards the group of thugs that were unloading some secure crates without any haste:

\- So, is it solid? Because I saw police aerocars coming in.

\- Nah, my contact said they will make a decoy for cops just before they will try to bust us.

\- Yeah, right...wait, they knew that cops were after us?

\- Of course. They even distracted the coast guard, so we can leave right after the unloading is done. And you?

\- Well, we were told to hold there, unload the crates and wait for further instructions.

\- Sucks for you, huh!...no sweat, just kidding. Call the watchers.

\- Nayce, you there?...Jimmy?...Pola?...Shayne?

\- Yeah, I~ mmmglm!...

\- The hell?!

\- It's Batman! Secure the ship, don't let him!...

But Terry was already gliding towards the ship when he heard muffled screams from the thug that was probably choked by Inque. He smashed two thugs from the ship into the water and fired a batarang at one that was nearby with laser pistol, pointed at Terry.

\- Bat's here! Waste him, waste him!

The battle on she ship was fierce and for Terry it went without any pauses - thugs were trying to pin him down, threw grenades at him, electrical discharges and even tried to enter close combat with Batman in large numbers. Without Inque covering him it was difficult and not ideal battle - Terry managed to take many hits on him and suit. Meanwhile, Inque was on a rampage of stealth knockdowns, creatively using the environment and her own fantasy to do something unexpected and effective. When thugs alerted everyone about Batman, she sighed with relief and decided to allow herself play loudly with others - without Batman nearby to watch her, she became the living terror for everyone that was unfortunate enough to cross her, and to make things a little bit more interesting, she decided to break a bone or two when she could. The weapons still did some damage to her when hits connected, but it wasn't enough to stop her.

Batman wasn't bad either - slower, yes, but he cautiously picked targets off one by one. When last thug fell down, Terry sighed and looked around to find more opponents, but it was it:

\- Got at least most of them on the ship. Going to check holding area.

\- I will deal with the rest of the perimeter security. Do not worry, they are alive, but won't go anywhere.

\- ...I hope you did it with accuracy, - Terry slowly approached the ladder towards the holding area and quickly descended into large section of the ship with lots of containers, - No markings, custom-made, airtight sealed.

\- Be careful, they could smuggle anything inside them, - warned Bruce, looking at transmission from Batsuit.

\- Good idea, - Terry activated his gas mask function on the suit, and started to slowly open the crate when it suddenly opened by itself, revealing the contents, - ...scrap!

\- Get out of here! - Bruce rose in his chair, yelling so suddenly that Inque stopped in her tracks and jumped on the roof of nearby warehouse to look at the ship.

The sudden explosions tore ship apart in several places. Without hesitation, Inque dashed forward towards the sinking ship. She saw Batmobile coming in, but little he could do - the ship was slowly descending under water, with Batman inside...who probably could not survived the explosion. Jumping from pier towards the ship, Inque slithered inside the holding area, quickly turning around to see where Batman could be.

\- He is more to the center of the ship, - suddenly said Wayne on the radiolink, who was doing his best to help her by tracking the suit's signal and Inque's radiolink.

She started to jump around, trying to avoid water at all costs, but ship kept sinking and craking, releasing more water all around her. Soon it wouldn't be any place to maneuver without her dissolving in the process...with those thoughts, Inque finally jumped on a broken container and stared at Batman that was underwater. The suit from the explosions was damaged severely, pieces of metal pierced the suit in several places, including helmet, and to make things worse he was pinned down by some metal support beam.

There was a clear temptation to just run away. Forget Batman, forget his old man, forget everything and hide somewhere - it would be more pleasant than feel pain and risking herself to be dissolved again, and she stood there for long precious seconds, trying to make up her mind and made the decision. She looked at her reflection in the rising water and quickly shrugged off hesitation, jumping into the water. The pain she felt was abnormal, as she was screamed as loud as she could, while her dissolving tentacles grabbed Batman and lifted the metal beam just enough to drag him into the surface. When she jumped out of the water, she was still screaming while trying to hold Batman in her weakening arms. The Batmobile managed to land as close as he could and shoot large grappling hook from it's nose, grabbing both Batman and Inque, who saw herself rapidly losing mass. Groaning from pain, Inque reached for stabilizers inside the Batmobile and dropped down, quickly slithering away.

* * *

Inque disappeared from the radar right after she saved Terry from certain death. His condition was much worse than Bruce thought, and he had to put him into trusted private clinic, where no questions were asked and no records of patients were held. Creating the alibi for Terry's family was crucial task, since they had to believe in what happened and not relate that to Batman in any way. The genuine feel of guilt helped the cause, as Wayne make an apologies to both Terry's mother and brother, since both lie and truth were about his fault. Terry took a heavy beating, but doctors assured Wayne that he will be alright if Terry will go full treatment.

Gotham also was hit by the news:

\- Commissioner Gordon said, quote, "that operation was sabotaged from the beginning to lure out Batman into the abandoned port area, and the sudden gang war for zone of control was a part of the decoy for GCPD forces". The Batman himself was not around for several days after the explosion, and many believe that he is either severely wounded or dead.

\- And right after the explosion the crime rate exploded too - new gangs and groups appeared in Gotham and other major cities, praying on the weak. With that sudden explosion of crime rate, various private security corporations started to market themselves as the alternative to current police force. While they do not have authorization as GCPD has, the US Congress is discussing the possibility of increasing the role of private security and military forces to help fight crime.

\- To other news - today Bruce Wayne will open a new eco-friendly refinery facility, that was a cooperative project of "Fox Techa" and "Wayne-Powers". Many sources claim that mister Wayne prepared a speech against various companies...

The main hall of new facility was filled with many guests - hired engineers, constriction teams, scientists, sponsors from both "Fox Techa" and "Wayne-Powers", reporters and other people that wanted to attend every main event in the city. Gathering his thoughts, Wayne was sitting with closed off eyes, trying to put on his mask of philanthropic billionaire, remembering his speech over and over just trying to concentrate. Maybe it was due to old age, or because how Terry and Bruce got close, but the thoughts were hard to shoo away. When he heard his name from the announcers and heard the applause, he opened his eyes and walked to the stage, putting both of his hands on a stand:

\- Thank you for coming. This facility will not be the last - it will the one of new top-of-the-line refineries that "Fox Techa" and "Wayne-Powers" will build in recent future, - he quickly glanced somewhere at the end of the hall, where he saw several aerocars landing, - Our planet, with our technology, needs rest from the mindless resource exploitation and ecology catastrophies. We will...

The sudden explosion blew the door inside the hall, pinning down some guests. The hall was quickly stormed by some armed raiders who engaged in combat with the guard and local police. One of the police officers quickly grabbed Wayne and dragged him from the stage, shouting about emergency exit. Bruce was following for a while, but suddenly police officer fell down from a laser shot, making Wayne quickly entering refinery room...which proved to be a dead end. He closed his eyes as he heard familiar noises and felt a tight goo on his neck, just holding him tight enough so he couldn't move. Wayne also noticed how door opened with the thugs talking:

\- Yeah, she got him! Told ya, Batman was just keeping her on a leash, and no Batman - no leash, you know what I am saying?...Inque, come one, we have to waste mister Wayne.

\- ...just one bad day, one critical leverage, one moment of despair - and you are back in, losing all the hope you had before and ruining your life completely, - said Wayne, opening his eyes with a slight breath as he tossed his cards on the table.

\- What? Oh, to hell with that crap, he's gonna waste our time!..but I am gonna waste him myse...

The goo quickly released Wayne's neck and pushed him to the side just in time for a shot. Wayne took cover behind some empty metal pods and watched, as Inque was dispatching group of thugs, constantly roaring and beating the crap out of them in very brutal fashion - smashing heads on pipes, breaking bones, throwing bodies around like they were empty sandbags. As she finished, she took some time to breath and calm herself, turning towards Wayne. As she approached him, Inque changed to her human form and extended her hand. He skeptically looked at her hand, since she was much smaller than him, but she had her strength back at least to help him stand up.

\- We have to go, other's are looking for you, - she approached the door, carefully looking outside.

\- Why?

\- ...I was afraid, - she turned towards Wayne, trying to get her face straight, but it was clear that she was about to break down, - I was so afraid that I...I contacted someone, and took the job as soon as they gave it to me, - she approached Wayne, tooking her palm inside her mass and releasing the container with half the dosage, - Don't know why I took only half and hid it, but...I thought I was set for easy kill, and..., - she fell silent and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and taking small black tears out, - ...you were right, all along.

\- It's not about me being right, it's about you making your decision, - he glanced at her for a while before continuing, - I exposed my secret to you. What will you do?

\- I want you to help me, - she answered with a decisive look in her eyes, - I want to get out from...this, - she kicked one of the thugs pretty hard with a scorn and disdain. She returned her eyes towards Wayne, - Can you do this?

\- Now I can...or we both can. Lead the way and try to find a guard uniform to blend in.

Inque blend in with other guards and helped Wayne to safely escape from the facility and lead him towards the cops. Wayne pointed Inque at his car, make a commentary for the press and excused himself for hospital visit. Dismissing the driver, Inque took his place and left the facility, carefully driving along the road. She was silent for some time, but as she glanced at Wayne and met his gaze, she finally asked:

\- Why you risked yourself? I know that it's not for me...

\- On the contrary, - he interrupted Inque, - It was for you, because Terry started to believe...and I saw what you truly are the night you saved him. You maybe not a saint, but you doubted herself for long enough time to be someone, who can change...who always had potential to change.

\- Am I the first one?

\- In a long time - yes. In my lifetime - no.

\- ...I am not a good person, W...Batman, - she corrected herself somehow, - I know it, you know it, but...

\- But you want to finally be free. To be what you want to be, to stop being a hostage of yourself. Those long days won't change your nature, I am not naive to expect that - you will be brutal, sadistic, you will enjoy what you are doing...but those long days changed your direction where you were going, from a dead end to endless road, - he made a pause to look into the reflection of her eyes in the mirror, - And now you are convicted enough to walk on that road...but there is one thing left for you to do today.

\- What thing?

When they arrived at hospital, Wayne told Inque the needed floor and room. She slithered up and got under the closed window, slowly appearing inside the private ward where Terry lied unmasked. He was in bandages with some machines placed nearby that were connected to McGinnis with some sort of tubes. When Wayne came in and closed the door, she was still looking at him in utter shock:

\- He's...young...like my daughter, - she even shook her head and sat on his bed, looking at Wayne for an answer, - Why is he doing it?

\- You are about to find out, - Wayne took a seat near bed and slightly shook Terry's shoulder.

\- Uh?...what? - Terry slowly opened his eyes, looking firstly at Bruce, - Ah, mister Wayne...I was wondering when..., - but then he noticed Inque nearby, who looked with a mixed expression of disbelief and terror on her face. Terry blinked several times and slowly reached his head only to find out that mask was long gone, - ...oh crap.

\- I think it's time for us to talk, - Wayne crossed his palm on a cane, looking back and forth from Inque to Terry, - Inque, if you do not mind to start first...

\- ...I don't mind, - she closed her eyes and took a deep breath before starting telling her story, - I...don't remember the country I was born, but it was torn down by war...

Inque unfolded her story from beginning to the end, where she repeated for Terry her reason why she left and why she took the contract. Bruce was listening with his usual expression, while Terry's eyes widened in several sections of her story, and when she finished talking, Terry took his turn. His father, Power/Blight, murder, his meeting with Wayne, battles against Blight...Inque also listened closel to Terry's story. But two of them were surprised when Bruce decided to tell his rising as Batman, while avoiding many moments and trying to compress it. When Bruce finished, he looked at Terry and Inque, saying this:

\- I had a family before, and it was a long time ago. With new Batman rising in Gotham and new threats appearing, creating a new family would be the most logical thing to do...and if you accept, you will be the first in new family.

\- ...I have a choice? - she blinked in shock, looking at Wayne sceptically.

\- You always have a choice. I looked at Terry and saw, that he doesn't want to quit after what happened to him, - Wayne let out a short sigh, quickly glancing at Terry, - ...but if he asked to quit, I have no rights to hold him. Same goes for you.

\- And what is the other choice?

\- Several: you can go to prison, you can join the family, you can escape and do what you want, or we can try to figure how to make you suitable for society, - Wayne rose up in his chair, - You can think of it while you driving me to manor. Terrance, have a good rest, alright?

\- Yes, mister Wayne, - Terry nodded slitghly, - Will try not to escape it too soon.

The rest of the trip towards the manor Inque and Wayne were silent. Inque was thinking a lot about her next choice, while Wayne was studying Inque's reflection in the mirror. When they arrived and automated gates opened, Inque still was not sure what to to with the choices she had right now. She stepped out of the car and followed Wayne, leaving guards uniform inside the manor, observing the interior throughly. Wayne walked towards the large hall, where fake watch were located, and turned to face Inque with a demanding look on his face.

\- Made up your mind?

\- ...I thought about choices you listed, and I tried them all...with the exception that I wasn't around my daughter, - she turned away, looking at the sunset for some time, trying to be honest with herself, - ...I asked Batman to help me, because I wanted it to end, and I joined him because my daughter was...is in danger, - she frowned and turned back to Wayne, - I need to be near her. I want in.

\- That's your final decision?

\- It is, - she answered fimly.

\- Welcome to our world, Inque, - Bruce extended his palm towards Inque, and she shook his hand after second thought. After they shook hands, Wayne approached the fake watch and opened a passageway to the Batcave.

\- ...right under the manor? - she followed Wayne, closing watch behind him. The descend towards the Batcave and her new entrance felt much different than before, but there was something that quickly got her attention - large pool of liquid, that was of her own color, right above the pit.

\- I must explain, that your daughter had a condition due to experiments on you, - Wayne waved Inque to come closer to study the liquid inside the secure round container, - Your story only proved it right, and whatever your choice could be, I was ready to spend some money in order to help her.

\- Why you didn't tell me before?

\- If we did, what choice did you had? - Wayne glanced at Inque firmly for a moment, - You were denied of making a choice your whole life, everything was a leash or leverage...and now I am telling you that we can cut the leash from you by helping you daughter...and yourself.

\- Will it work? Because...I used a lot of time to cook it, - she slowly approached the pool, sitting on the edge of the pit and touching liquid with her own hand.

\- With the previous techniques and methods - yes, but technology changed...and I got a lot of connections. This new formula will make you very resistant to water and will stabilize you.

\- For how long? - Inque slowly forced her arm inside the pool, shivering from strange sensations from draining the liquid.

\- A decade.

She looked at Wayne in utter shock, but the sensations were telling her the truth. Slowly, she reached the liquid with both hands and dove inside, absorbing it slowly for a long period of time. When the pool was emptied, she emerged from it as a big mass, that started to take shapes as she was moving around - cube, sphere, triangle, six-sided dice, twenty-sided dice, sea lion...but suddenly she stopped right where were the costumes of previous bat-family. Inque started slowly taking her human form with the return of her feminine features to make a distinctive appearance. Later she slowly changed her face to be reminiscent of a Terry's helmet - long pointy ears, changeable white eyes, but no mouth and with her elegant ornament all over the "mask". A big mass formed from her shoulders into some sort of cape, that was long enough to touch the floor and it was looked like constant-moving mass of black goo with her human form ornaments. But the most important thing was the white logo of flying bat that appeared on her chest, which was looking watery and elegant. She turned to Batman and performed famous "bat-glare" by narrowing her eyes.

\- I will try to make a better compound to upgrade your state further, but for now...One more thing, - Wayne pointed to one of the sections of the Batcave where was a large cliff, going to darkness.

\- What is it?

\- Meaning. Have a good look.

Inque raised her "eyes", but walked towards the edge of the cliff. She turned her cape around herself and gazed into the dark abyss. There was only silence for some time, interrupted by familiar noise of the bats that were flying around...but than she saw several dozens of eyes opening in the darkness, and she heard such a loud noise that it was quite intimidating. Suddenly from the darkness emerged a large flock of bats, making Inque instinctively bending her knees and changing her arms into sharp objects. But as bats flew upwards, Inque returned her arms back to normal and slowly rose up, being inside the literal bat-storm. She looked at Wayne, who was suddenly smiling at what he just saw.

* * *

Barbara Gordon was on the roof, and when Batmobile arrived, she nervously looked as something liquid-ish dropped from it, changing shapes into a vision of Batman. Gordon slowly approached Inque at took a good look at her, especially at her symbol before asking:

\- You are temporary replacement?

\- More like a something of my own, - answered Inque, narrowing her eyes a bit, - Will we have a problem?

\- Considering that I am standing near world's dangerous criminal without alerting the Justice League or Interpol...let's say that I will slide this until first warning, - Barbara took a pause before asking again, - Took a new name?

\- I love mine too much to change it, but we are wasting time. Batman is out of the game, and criminals are feeling themselves safe. I don't want them feel safe anywhere in Gotham.

\- What are you planning?

\- I will return Batman on the streets until his actual return, but old man asked you to do one thing.

\- What, exactly?

\- Turn it on, - said Inque, retreating to Batmobile and dusting off to patrol Gotham. One hour later she was grinning as she saw the bat-symbol in the skies of Neo-Gotham.

* * *

 **One of the biggest challenges was Bruce Wayne. I had to rewatch some episode of TAS and Batman Beyond, and I prey to Kevin Konroy that I did it at least 10% justice to his iconic character. Of course I took some...liberties by making old Wayne feel greater impact from Mr. Freeze's finale, which was to be the decisive point of learning for old Wayne. Learning about the ability of criminals turn to good life, and how fragile they can be. That what, in my opinion, Batman is - a constantly learning individual, who gained his strength back to not give up at cases he can at least try to save. Remember Clayface from TAS? He tried to save him. Catwoman? Tried to help her. There were other cases which showed that Batman has the compassion for his enemies, even for great one, and old cynical man could return to his roots, to some degree.**

 **And now Inque. She had quite a story, I suggest you to read it to understand how bloody awful her life was. Out of all B:B villains she is the one who has the ability to change sides due to her love for her daughter, even if latter betrayed her, Inque still cares about her. That was a powerful motive buried here, and now we have Bat-Inque as the first part of the family.**

 **Yes. First. The one thing that also bugged me was that Terry did not had many allies - Max, Wayne, Gordon at the end of Return of the Joker...and that's it. I have an idea about futuristic bat-family, and as with Inque, they will walk their own arks. Some choices could be obvious to someone who will dig up the B:B, but I have a hunch that I can make quite a surprise. And, of course, there is something-something called escalation is in order.**

 **Despite how few readers there are, I have a hope that the numbers will increase, since the worst thing that could happen to any writer - is to not have any, even negative response to his work.**

 **See you in the next chapter of Neo-Gotham.**


	4. Of Ink And Blades

**It took longer for this episode to be completed, despite the constant work around the plot.**

 **You hate typos? I know I do, because they appear like RKO from Randy Orton - mind is typing one thing, hands - another. Gurrr. Hate it.**

 **Nevertheles...here we go.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

With most of the crimes done at night, it was no doubt that Batman helped with them when he could. Without Batman, though, the crime rate seriously rose up all over the Gotham. New tech and gear, though limited, appeared here and there - some thugs could barely afford the needed stuff while big groups, such as T's and Jokerz, managed to but themselves a lot of valuable gear. While Gordon tried her best to fight against those groups, it was clear that GCPD was outnumbered and outgunned. It was bad for the several days after the the famous explosion that supposedly killed Batman for good, but just tonight something happened, that changed everything.

The skies were lighted up with the old bat-signal from the roof of GCPD HQ. It was a clear message - Batman is alive, and he is out in the streets. Of course many gangs decided that it was a hoax, pulling wool over the eyes of the city, and they decided to keep their plans for tonight. Take for example that group - newly formed gang that was robbing the jewelry store in mid-Gotham. They bought themselves some expensive stuff for disabling camera systems and cracking safes, they even managed to not trigger the alarm while breaking inside.

\- How long?

\- Just a few more minutes.

\- If you wanted a jewelry for your coughing jacked up gals, you should've picked the store several levels down.

Without any delay, Inque appeared from the air duct and threw some two of men outside of the store, pinning them down and trapping inside herself to choke them up. The other two yelped and took out laser pistols, but Inque threw her tentacle arms forward, keeping their point sharp enough to pierce through hands. When choking of first two ended enough to make them faint, she quickly wrapped her tentacles around other two, who were holding their bleeding hands.

\- Now, - she frowned, closing her face with their's, - Here's what we going to do...eeny, meeny, miny...moe, - Inque mockingly used counting rhyme, counting with her third tentacle, - Go on and spread the word that Inque is now on Batman's side, - she threw one of the perpetrators towards the aerobike, - And you are going into GCPD, congratulations!...but with something to remember me by, - she wrapped one of her tentacles over last thug's leg and with one quick movement knocked it out of it's place. Thug immediately screamed, while Inque kept mocking him by leaving inside the bush before dashing towards Batmobile and slithering inside it.

\- So your tactics is too let a word on the streets that you are now with Batman, - Bruce was on a radiolink with his face in small screen.

\- And to keep them afraid, - Inque quickly glanced at Bruce while carefully leading Batmobile towards another location, - When I was out, I dig up some files on Batman, and he used fear tactics to fight criminals in his time, - she glanced over the navcomputer and took a turn to the left, - And this is what I learned in the cave - how to use fear.

\- Could you minimize how you are brutalizing them?

\- I already did, - she raised her eyebrows, looking at Bruce, - I am no fool, I know a thing or two about reputation, but don't expect me go easy on them...and to be honest, I am enjoying it maybe too much, - she grinned while looking down at armed robbery that was in the valley under her, - Talk to you in a second.

Pulling the levers, Inque dropped down from the Batmobile and morphed right in the air, extending her "cape" to carefully aim herself over the two thugs that were pressing a woman in the alley. Closing her cape, Inque dropped down on both of them, raising their choked bodies in the air and colliding their foreheads together. The woman yelped from surprise, but Inque silently saluted her and returned back to Batmobile, continuing her patrol duty.

\- Don't get it over your head, or no Batmobile.

\- ...by the way, can you make me another one? - she asked while looking at Bruce, - It's much faster than me, and handles smoothly.

\- If you prove yourself useful.

\- I don't have to prove anything, I am useful, - retorted Inque flatly, while taking Batmobile higher to have a better vantage point, - So, I can run around and spread the news about Batman being back, but maybe I can work on something?

\- I have studied every lead for the past days that you can work on. How about to start with a visit to Seagull?

The familiar apartment building was the same from her last visit, and Inque quickly slithered inside Seagull's room. He was already there, sleeping and snoring so loud that in made Inque cringe on the inside. But before waking him up, Inque took a look around his room, searching for weapons, mobile phones and some means for leverage. As she expected, she found several laser pistols all over the place, several burn-phones and hidden data-pad, which was locked by password system. After her search she started to shake Seagull violently, waking him up:

\- Wh-what?...Oh crap! - he looked at Inque and reached for his laser pistol under the pillow, pointing at her and pressing the button...without any result. Seagull gone pale, as he pressed the button two more times, but Inque threw pistol's battery, hitting Seagull's head.

\- Press it more, maybe it will fire, - Inque wrapped her tentacle around his neck and lifted into the air, smashing his back against the wall, - But I doubt that.

\- W-what do you want?! I thought we had a deal!

\- We had, - she closed her face towards him, - But do you know what happens with liars? - she hardened her tentacle around Seagull's throat a bit.

\- I...I wasn't lying! - he started to wheeze from her grip, - I asked around, nothing came up except what I told you, swear to God!

\- Swear to me! - she yelled in anger and smashed the windows with Seagull's body, changing her grip from neck to shoulders, extending him far enough from balcony, - Names, Seagull!

\- Th-they are in the data-pad, it's inside the air vent! - he looked down to see how far he could fall, with eyes widened in surprise, - The passwords are "WRK4SLF" and "EZM4NY"! Please, don't kill me!

\- ...I won't, - she said after some long seconds of thinking about the situation. Her tentacle crawled inside the room, throwing Seagull back to his bed. She was standing over him in threatening pose as she leaned in to terrified dealer, - But that doesn't mean I will not chain you into medical bunk for the rest of your life...and I can do it easily, - she made a pause before continuing, - Tell everyone to stop selling those weapons from train wreck and toss them to GCPD, I don't care how.

With that final warning, Inque quickly slithered away up the wall into Batmobile, taking her human form. She slowly ejected from her mass already stolen data-pad and connected it to Batmobile, while typing passwords to unlock it.

\- Connected? - she asked Wayne, while driving across the Neo-Gotham.

\- Yes, give me a minute to study it.

\- Seagull wasn't the one who set this up, of course, he's just a pawn, - she started to analyze the situation, taking a quick look and Bat-signal in the sky, - But he is a pawn who is connected to other pawns, who have other connections to next tier.

\- His data-pad has encrypted files, but nothing too complicated.

\- Maybe I can check the lead on that carbide dealer? - she asked while checking police radio frequency.

\- I am digging it myself, for now you can focus on patrolling Gotham.

\- Guess being the head of "Wayne-Powers" really helps with undercover investigations..., - she paused and asked a question, that was on her mind for a long time, - How's the progress on...

\- Her therapy will be long, - Wayne interrupted his work to look at the main monitor, where Inque was, - And I can not guarantee her full recovery, at least for now, but it looks optimistic.

\- ...can I visit her?

\- It's your choice.

* * *

Inque's night patrol was a success - news were talking about new Bat in Gotham and about decreasing, though slowly, of crime rate in various parts of city. The GCPD started to fight back, but it wasn't enough. For Inque, she liked the changing of her direction, it felt...right, and she took great pleasure from what she was doing, but it was only for a reason, that was now lying in bed in front of her. It was already past morning when she decided to wait for doctors to leave and visit her daughter. She took her human from and sat on the bed next to Deanna, placing her own hand over Deanna's and carefully touching her forehead. To her surprise and terror, Deanna's skin was moving like a plasticine.

\- M-mom? - Deanna sighed and opened her eyes slightly, almost whispering - she was really weak, couldn't even move, - ...you are here...to kill me?

\- No, no..., - Inque moved closer, touching Deanna's cheek, - I am here because...we need to talk.

\- Might be...not the best time, - she tried to smile, but closed her eyes, convulsively sighing.

\- It is. Because I went that procedure I talked about...while I was pregnant with you, - Inque squeezed Deanna's palm and closed her eyes, - I did not want to talk about that, and when I saw you for the first time up close, I convinced myself that you are going to be fine, - she opened her eyes to see Deanna's shocked face, - But it was just a beautiful lie, Deanna...I am sorry that I lied to you, - Inque felt her black tears slowly coming out of her eyes, - I am sorry that I did this to you...and I am sorry for not being around to made you a good caring person. To do that..., - Inque warmly smiled, still feeling herself crying from the inside, - I will steal the money I transfered to you.

\- Wh...you can't! I...h-how I am...you will kill me! Without money, how I will..., - Deanna quickly panicked, but Inque pressed her finger to her mouth and gave her a strong look that made Deanna shiver.

\- I will steal all your money, my darling, and I will use them to pay for your medical treatment, - Inque pat Deanna's palm, still smiling, - You will be treated, and I will make sure that you will be that active young girl that you are...but when your treatment will be over, - Inque leaned in to face her daughter, not smiling anymore and painfully squeezing Deanna's palm, while sounding harsh, - Your life will change a lot, Deanna. First - I will send you to college, because even if I do not have higher education, you will get one...second - you will sell your manor and everything I will point for selling, and all your servants will be paid before you will dismiss them...and third, maybe the most important thing out of them all, - Inque carefully ejected a data-pad from her mass and used one hand to brought up some files, - I was digging around your credit history and asked a friend for a favor to get full picture..., - she glanced at Deanna, who was silently trembling from her mother, and continued in quiet, but clearly pissed-off tone, - ...it looks like you were a big spender, huh? - she listed down the files, slowly boiling up from the inside as Inque continued to read, - Expensive car rents, top-of-the-line screens you tend to smash around, subscription to some elite content...wine, crystal dishes?...parties...you need to learn how to use your money in proper way.

\- Mother, I...

\- What?! - Inque threw the data-pad to the wall, smashing it in pieces and silencing Deanna with angered yelling, - What "mother"? "Mother, sorry, I was just screwing around with your hard-earned cash"? Is that what you are trying to say?!

\- N-no, I!..

\- You killed me, Deanna, - Inque leaned in to her daughter, who gulped from her stone-cold look and voice, - You betrayed me, you stole from me...but I can forgive that, because I wasn't around for you when you needed me most, you had no reason to love me...but you stole from yourself, Deanna, - Inque's tone changed to caring one, as she saw Deanna genuinely crying, probably from fear, - I gave you the future with limitless possibilities, a future that many will kill for...and you wasted it on luxury life instead of doing something good. Hell, starting a business or buying it still would be something better to do, but...you did it the easiest way, - Inque's eyes suddenly widened when he realized what she said. Deanna, still crying silently, now was confused from Inque's sudden change of behavior, - ...you did the same thing I did - the easiest way..., - Inque finally explained, staring at Deanna and slowly rising from her bed, looking perplexed by the revelation. Inque shook her head and continued to berate Deanna, - You will not do the same mistakes I did, I will make sure of that, I will not let you ruin your life...so you better think over what I said, - Inque turned away from her daughter and walked towards the opened window, - I will visit you from time to time until you recuperate, will watch you over..., - she was about to jump down into the Batmobile when another realization hit her. Closing her eyes, Inque absorbed her black tears back in, trying to sound calm, - ...but I don't think we will have the relationship I wanted, - she said finally, dropping down inside the Batmobile and flying towards the Batcave.

* * *

\- You look distressed, - said Wayne, working on the Batcomputer. Inque was nearby, sitting on the side with one leg crossing another and studying Batcave.

\- I talked to her. You weren't listening?

\- I always listening, - Bruce glanced at her for second, - But that is not the point why I am asking.

\- ...it isn't, - she nodded, closing her eyes, - Both of you gave me a chance, a way out...maybe even forward, and I want do the same for Deanna. We can't be together after all that happened, but she will have a better life...she didn't even bother to change the password to my account, and I already emptied it to other accounts I kept for emergency, - she opened her eyes and looked at Wayne, - How much do I need to pay for her?

\- Protect Gotham and your daughter, I will do the rest...about the latter - Gordon called, she wants to have a word with you.

\- ...now that I think of it, it means that Gordon know who you and Batman are, - Inque widened her eyes a little, - You were?...

\- You will learn everything in time. For now, you will learn how to deal with commissioner.

\- And with others, - suddenly came a voice from the stairs.

Inque took her "Bat" form and faced towards the direction of the voice, but she quickly realized that the fight was already over. Slowly coming from the stairs towards Batcave, making intimidating "thud" sounds, Superman was watching Inque closely. Bruce turned to face him and rose up in his chair, taking a few steps forward.

\- I guess I can't even ran off right now, - Inque frowned, taking a tense pose and taking a step back from Kal'El.

\- You can't, - he said looking over Inque's "Bat" form for quite a time, - Interesting gimmick, young lady.

\- Why are your here? - asked Bruce, giving Superman a hard look.

\- Heard the news. Bat-signal, new Batman...funny thing, no one can come up how to call you - Inqued Bat, Bat-Inque, Black Bat...

\- Very imaginative, - she grumbled with irritation.

\- ...but you also the one who escaped from our prison, and the one who committed countless crimes, - Superman crossed his arms on his chest, - And that puts you into interesting position - on one hand, I should take you in...but on the other hand, Gotham needs Batman, especially now, when every newscaster talks about Bat-signal being turned on again for the first time in decades, - Kal'El turned to Bruce and smiled a little, - You got the attention from all over the world, Bruce. And you know, what that means.

\- More than you could think.

\- For now, I will not take you in, Inque, - Superman turned to her now, - But Justice League will watch you closely, and we will not hesitate to take you down.

\- That's why you never done that before when I was free? - she asked maliciously, narrowing her eyes to "bat-glare" effect.

\- Inque, - Bruce reacted quickly, seeing how Superman was about to react, - That's enough...go on and run the diagnostics on Batmobile.

\- As you wish, - she quickly dashed away towards the Batmobile, where she slithered inside the opened cockpit.

\- ...you sure about her, Bruce? - asked Clark when Inque was far enough.

\- If I wasn't, she wouldn't be here, - said Wayne, not even looking at Superman, - Setting everything up for her final test was hard for my age, but it payed off - she finally decided to choose a new road. She's a powerful asset...and maybe one day she will become a powerful ally.

\- I still don't know how managed you do it. Probably one of those secrets you will never tell me, - Superman chuckled a little, but he turned serious pretty fast, - I want to warn you, that something is happening in the world. Justice League is working hard, but we can't be everywhere...and something tells me that those long years of peace were ended with the signal from the past.

\- For you, they ended, for me - they never came.

When Superman left the Batcave, Bruce slowly approached Inque. She had some knowledge in some areas, being able to drive vehicles and knowing electronics, Bruce gave her credit for that, but she was not so...educated as Terry was. Inque raised her head to meet Bruce and slithered outside of the Batmobile, taking her human form:

\- I will not back down to him, no matter what you might ask.

\- And I don't expect you to, - Bruce put both of his hands on a cane, looking at surprised Inque, - Batman, or anyone that wears that symbol, never surrenders or retreats, but he must have the room to acknowledge his mistakes and work to not repeat them.

\- I will work on it, - she nodded in response.

\- You will. I won't comment your methods...for now. But there is a room of improvement.

\- Of course...by the way, when Batman will come back?

\- He needs a few more days to recover, and when he will, you have to step back from main role.

\- I see no problem there, - she just shrugged her shoulders, - I am not Batman, just someone who reminds everyone that he will come back.

\- ...good, - Bruce suddenly smiled, turning back to Batcomputer with Inque watching his figure with silent question in her eyes.

* * *

The next days went quite, with Inque patrolling Gotham and pushing criminals left and right. She was much more brutal than Terry, took pleasure in dealing pain around her and there was another trait Bruce discovered - overconfidence. In the history of fights against Inque, she was never truly defeated - Victor Fries's gun won the first round, Aaron Herdst took down Terry when he as about to win the second fight, sudden rain won third one, and her own daughter's greed and betrayal won the very last encounter. Inque was quite a formidable opponent, and as Bruce observed her actions and clashes with the criminal world, he learned her true power - adaptation. She quickly changed tactics and approaches to her goal, but many times she done something unusual and quite unnecessary because of boredom. There was nothing that could possibly challenge her, at least for the time being, and her overconfidence kept slowly growing. Bruce knew that one day it could cost someone his life, but for now he needed to work with her in terms of gaining reputation and authority.

The Seagull's data-pad hold interesting information, but pressing around dealers was a dead end with no one knowing anything or giving vary vague leads, and for now they stopped looking into "shipment case", focusing on dealing with low-level thugs that kept popping around all over the Gotham. That was also a test of Inque's reaction, but despite her growing boredom she wasn't arguing to Bruce's surprise. Even more - he had to sometimes call her back for rest and new lessons. That's what Terry caught them doing when he entered Batcave early in the morning:

\- I can still spot you, - Bruce was standing in the middle of the cave, looking at the ceiling.

\- Damn it, - Inque sighed, dropping down right in front of Wayne, taking her human form, - How you do?...oh, right, - she saw Bruce's grin and raised her hands up, - Keep forgetting that.

\- I see you two are having fun, - Terry waved at Inque and Bruce.

\- You will have your fun too, - Bruce just kept grinning.

\- ...OK, now I am scared. You bought synthoids with better algorithms? - asked Terry sceptically.

\- Better, - Bruce nodded towards Inque.

\- What? - she widened her eyes, not understanding a thing.

\- I am too old to be an active mentor when it comes to martial arts...but you two share something in common - ability for constant improvisation and adaptation, - he crossed his palm on a cane, looking at his soon-to-be-students, - You can learn from one another, and I will help you with that...and other things.

\- Sounds like fun, - Inque nodded, taking a quick look at Terry, - Don't worry, I can take anything from you.

\- I know...when do we start?

\- Now.

Both Inque and Terry shared even more, when it comes to combat - despite Terry's training and experience as Batman, it still wasn't enough sometimes when he faced someone with better experience in combat, and he had to think on the fly...which wasn't perfect sometimes. Inque, on the other hand, did not needed martial arts training with her experience from early ages of her crime career and the abilities her condition provided. She rivaled Terry in many terms, but Bruce knew that if McGinnis lacked experience and tend to make reckless decisions, Inque's downsides were overconfidence with underestimating her opponents, playful attitude, anger issues. But for now, they needed to be put together in training in order to learn from one another, and Bruce was here to guide them. Of course, Inque could take anything McGinnis could threw at her in normal close combat:

\- Really? - she asked, holding Terry's foot inside herself after his kick, - Again?

\- I picked up something, - Terry used his second foot to deliver a blow to Inque's head, using momentum to free himself from her grip...only to be hit in the back with Inque's kick, that made Terry fell on the floor, - ...ouch.

\- Don't leave your back unguarded, Terry, - said Bruce, observing the sparring session.

\- Yes, you tend to do that, - agreed Inque, taking defensive position.

With two of them now being on the same side other changes happened in Batcave. The first one was a brand new chemical facility to develop Inque's mass and research her condition further. The second change was that Batcave came alive with Inque's presence - she was not just a spare pair of hands, but also she was a talkative person, and after sharing her story Inque felt a little bit liberated from her past, knowing now the stories of Terry and Bruce. Of course it was a strategic move from Bruce's side - he studied the conversations that were recorded from the Batsuit in order to make a profile on Inque, and her backstory only confirmed what she was - a broken woman, victim of series of events, who saw the world from the bottom far too young to deal with it.

But for now she was the woman who was sitting on the side of Batcomputer (it was her favorite place now) with a bewildered look on her face:

\- You serious?

\- It's never too late for education, - said Bruce, looking for needed material on the Internet, - and while your knowledge is impressive for someone who never attended school, that knowledge could be further improved, - he now took a strong look at Inque, - But for that knowledge we need a solid foundation.

\- Don't look at me, I am going for medical pHd. Pharmacology, - said Terry when Inque turned to him for support.

\- Fine, - she gave up, raising her hands in the air, - But I don't know who could teach me, if Interpol is still after me with at least several other agencies from all over the world.

\- I will help you with the foundation and call in some favors, but you have to think about the specialty you are going for, - said Bruce, making a purchases of variety of books.

\- I guess I can't get pHd in sabotage and espionage? - she asked with a slight grin, crossing her arms together.

\- You already got those, - noticed Terry.

\- Right...

\- By the way, do we have the leads on someone who knows about shipment incident? - Terry came closer to Bruce, looking at the monitor.

\- No. Inque interrogated Seagull, and his data-pad while had valuable information for future occurrences, proved to be a dead end when Inque pressed some dealers. I also had a talk with Gordon - she now thinks that it was a major setup, with no one knowing anything, - Bruce rubbed his chin thoughtfully, - Someone knows how to cover his tracks.

\- That shipment couldn't be just to kill Batman, - said Inque, gathering her thoughts and observations, - There were too many of thugs in the port, probably to deal with the SWAT team. And the sudden gang war was just too obvious.

\- It was a decoy to just lure the police with me away from...something major, - concluded Terry with Inque agreeing with her silent nod, - And they left the muscle to make an impression that is was the real shipment in case me or SWAT coming in.

\- Good thinking, - Bruce glanced at Terry with a slight nod, - The perpetrators that Gordon captured do not know anything also, but they were paid very generously by their standards for this work.

\- Someone must know something, - said Inque, changing her pose slightly, - This is how underground works - everyone is connected.

\- ...we should press Jokerz and T's, - suddenly said Bruce, - Someone pushed them into that shootout, and their gangs have the numbers to hold on for some time from anyone who is cleaning up.

\- Guess they won't cooperate even under such circumstances? - asked Terry.

\- They never do, - said Inque with a sore expression.

\- Any ideas where to start?

\- I have a few, - Inque grinned, turning towards the Batcomputer and starting to name places from her memory.

* * *

With Inque now in team, they could cover more ground at the same time. The idea was simple - investigate the safe-houses and push the owners into giving Jokerz or T's, and both of them were met with armed thugs. And, of course, when they took down the first two safe-houses, others received a warning message regarding the Inque and Batman sweeping the lower Gotham and beating the living crap out of everyone in their way. Terry was on his way to next location where he saw something unsettling - several man were kicked out of the windows and dropped down from the sixth floor. Terry couldn't help but to turn away before those men died, squeezing his hands on control levers of Batmobile to make it fly faster:

\- Inque, I got something at "Smoking Hide", probably the cleaning crew. At least...four dead. I would appreciate the cover.

\- I will be there soon, just had to finish interrogation - I found one of the T's.

\- Take your time, nothing I can't handle.

\- Liar.

Terry opened the cockpit and flew inside the broken window, looking at the massacre that was around him - people lying around dead with their throats sliced and limbs being cut off. Turning on optical camo, Terry slowly started to move after the trail of dead bodies and blood, trying to not step on anyone. His sensors picked someone moaning in the end of the corridor, where large door was lying on the ground in several pieces. Preparing for the worst, Terry rolled inside the room, quickly turning around to face the possible ambush, but he found only beaten up thug, who was moaning from his broken legs. Terry turned off the optical camo and came closer:

\- Who did this? - Terry took a quick look on his leg. It was broken carefully, at least.

\- Some strange freak, man..., - thug closed his eyes, shaking from the pain that surged through his body, - ...dressed in some fancy dark clothes, came in slicing everyone until it came to me...used some sort of voice-changing device.

\- What it asked?

\- The location of the T's that survived the police raid...we got a hideout for them, but I sold them out...yeah, heroic, I know, - the thug shrugged, groaning through clenched teeth, - ...but you are not the only one after him.

\- Who else came?

\- Some strange woman...white clothes with armor pieces, a sword too...she ran past me to chase that creep in black suit.

\- That woman, - Terry narrowed his eyes, looking at thug closely, - Did she had blue skin?

\- ...yeah, I think...yeah, she had, and she had those creepy yellow eyes.

\- Curare, - Terry rose up from the floor, - I will call the ambulance.

\- And what I will pay them, huh? - the thug managed to smile through pain, trying to hold his laughter, - No, Batman, don't bother call anyone...I will give you the location and I will call them, so they will let you in. You can bust those T's to police, but we had enough of that crap for the past days, - the thugs spewed to the side, shaking his head, - Get that costume garbage out of the streets, because folks will seek blood when this is over, and you don't want them demand too much blood.

\- Will try to. Now the location.

Soon Terry and Inque were on their way towards the safe-house, both of them were holding onto the Batmobile, which was controlled by Wayne. The safe-house was the same old rusted place that littered the lower Gotham levels, and looked like it was about to shatter in any second. The party already started - people kept flying around the house with laser shots being clearly visible on one of the floors.

\- ...I see him, - Terry zoomed in to find the assassin, - The suit has no insignias, and looks armored.

\- It's lightly armored, don't focus on that, - said Wayne, studying the captured image, - But this an experienced assassin. Do you visuals on Curare?

\- She is coming from behind the black one, just entered the building...but I can see a tail behind her.

\- You know Curare? - Terry reached inside the opened cockpit to restock everything he had.

\- As a professional, yes, in person - no, - Inque narrowed her eyes, still looking around, - ...not many of them, but they look trained. Too bad they are norms.

\- Don't underestimate them, Inque, - said Bruce on the radiolink, driving Batmobile closer to the safe-house.

\- I won't. I will deal with those who are coming from behind, - Inque dropped from the Batmobile, opening her "cloak" to glide down, - Have fun.

\- Was it the same in your days? - Terry asked Bruce while dropping down and gliding towards the windows, where he saw the shadow of the figure with a sword that was running through the halls.

\- Sometimes.

Batman smashed the windows and flew inside the building, bumping into the figure with such force that...she?...grunted when she hit the wall. Terry rolled back and got into defensive stance with batarang ready, when he finally saw that he hit Curare, who was briefly stunned from the sudden collision. As the witness reported, Curare upgraded her outfit, making it more armored while keeping her agile and light on feet. Taking a quick look around, Terry found out an assassin in black, much more advanced combat armor, who prepared a kunai, aiming for Curare's head. Terry tried to intercept it with a batarang, but only changed a direction of kunai - it hit Curare not in the head, but right in the right shoulder, making her growl from pain again. She rolled backwards and disappeared inside the opened room, pulling kunai from her shoulder and studying it for any poison traces, while Batman went in to engage the assassin. His first blow from his leg to assassin knee was blocked and parried, delivering a foot uppercut right into Terry's chin. He stepped back and went in again, trying this time to went for the chest area, only to be blocked again.

But this time Terry was not hesitating. He closed the distance quickly, connecting his knee with assassins lower waist area several times and delivering a blow so fierce to his head that assassin collided with the wall, passing out instantly. When Terry turned towards the direction where Curare went, she suddenly rolled out from her hiding spot and threw two kunais, that flew past Batman and hit the targets from his back. But she also had a thing coming from behind, and Terry shoot the explosive batarang towards the floor, making the assassin's jump fail miserably. Curare quickly glanced back and threw another kunai towards the fallen assassin through the hole in the floor, giving Terry enough time to see two bodies behind, holding for their bleeding necks. The very next thing Curare did was that she approached Batman, looking at him with a strange expression in her eyes, and after a short while she started to make...gestures.

\- ...Boss?

\- It's the common sign language, - Bruce studied her for a while before continuing, - She says that other assassins are nearby.

\- Inque, how's it from your side?

\- They actually not that bad from the inside...relax, I got them. Coming right...now, - Inque appeared in the end of the hallway, jumping on the floor in seamless stream while Curare took out a sword and slowly walked past Batman, holding her fist in the air for a second. Terry now noticed that her armored plates were battered in many places, and her cloth probably seen better days, judging by cuts and dirt all over it. Inque crawled on the ceiling, quietly asking while taking a flat form, - Plan?

\- Improvise, - Terry glanced at Curare firmly, - But not further killing, - Curare responded with a very skeptical look in her eyes, but later she just nodded, letting out a slight sigh.

\- ...I feel vibrations on the floor above, - suddenly said Inque. Curare quickly dropped down to the floor and pushed her ear to it, closing her eyes to concentrate. She later stood up, showing Batman four fingers, and pointed towards the other end of the hall, making gestures again.

\- Four under you, and three more in the front, - translated Bruce, - Probably four on the floor above you.

\- I hope this works, - Terry took out the explosive gel sprayer, - Inque, where is the group from above?

\- Right where I am, - she slithered a bit on the ceiling, shaping herself in black oval.

\- Spray it around and press the green button to insert the detonator inside, - Batman threw the explosive gel towards Inque, knowing that she would catch it anyway, and turned to Curare, - And yours? - Curare silently took out a kunai and pointed it towards the nearby stairway, making another quick gestures.

\- She thinks that assassins will try to push you to stairway and try to overwhelm there.

\- Can't you jump several meters high? - asked Batman from Curare, who rolled her eyes and pointed at her legs. From the first look it wasn't bad, but the armor was pierced in several places, making Curare slowly bleeding out, - ...got it.

\- Done, - said Inque, finishing her explosive work.

\- Make the other one right under, - Terry slowly walked towards the stairway, preparing several small capsules, - Inque, grab Curare to the upper floor after explosion and head to the roof.

\- I hope you don't mind your privacy being assaulted, - Inque slithered towards Terry, holding the gel sprayer, while Curare took a cover with a kunai prepared, - Ready.

\- Do it.

The explosions made a big hole between floors, sending the assassins from above to the floor under them. Wasting no time, Terry threw a flashbang capsules - one to the stairway, and another one behind the corner along with a smoke one. Inque waited for flashbang and grabbed Curare with her tentacles, jumping to the upper floor through the hall. Terry followed behind them and threw another flashbang capsule behind him just in case.

\- I left the interior and going up to the roof. Do you have a plan now?

\- Not at all, - Terry jumped out of the window and activated his rocket thrusters, flying past Inque with very pissed-off Curare partially inside her.

\- The Batmobile can hold only two. Someone has to stay behind, - that was Wayne on the radiolink.

\- I will, it's easier for me to escape...and also I will search for other survivors and deliver those fashion disasters to GCPD, - Inque reached the roof, releasing Curare from her grip. The blue-skinned assassin quickly removed any leftovers of Inque from herself, while looking very disgusted.

\- Do not kill anyone, Inque, - Terry quickly dashed towards the landing Batmobile while waving Curare to follow him. She started to run without hesitation, taking a short glances to see possible threats.

\- One day you should stop worry about that...see you in the cave, - Inque waved at spouted several tentacles from her "Bat" form, running towards the assassins that appeared on the rooftop.

\- Boss, you here? - Terry pointed Curare to take the front sit, taking a place behind her. When this happened, Terry quickly grabbed her hands and handcuffed them behind the seat.

\- Here, - the Batmobile closed his cockpit and flew away from the rooftop, leaving Inque with the assassins, - Curare doesn't look good.

\- What do you mean? - he asked while looking at the reflection of Curare.

\- She's sweating and her breath is heavy. Place your hand on her neck...her heart-rate and blood pressure are way too high. She has been poisoned.

\- She took kunai to her shoulder, - Terry remembered that episode, and Curare suddenly started to nod to her pouch while also trying to move in such way to make her point. Terry opened the pouch and inside it was a kunai in Curare's cloth with a blood on it. Terry carefully pressed the finger to it's blade, transmitting the information to Batcomputer.

\- ...classic poison, but in very high potency. Curare must have some degree of poison tolerance, because such potent poison could kill dozens.

\- You know what I am going to ask.

\- I know, there are no other options...but that doesn't mean I like it.

* * *

Curare slowly opened her eyes, staring in the dark far away cave ceiling. The noises of bats flying around gave her general idea about her location, but she couldn't move - she was tied to a table with plasteel handcuffs, one even was at her neck and forehead. Her armor was gone, only her clothes remained, and judging by her quick attempt to take a lockpick from her cloth on the wrists someone also searched her for surprises. She noticed an IV drop nearby with some liquids that were dumping inside her veins and machines for cleansing blood.

She closed her eyes again and let out a quite sigh when she heard a familiar voice:

\- You took quite a beating, - Batman appeared from the shadows in front of her, holding his arm together. She haven't noticed him because of the optical camo and because he was staying in one place, - The poison stopped your heart eventually, but we brought you back...I will release your arms, and you will answer my questions. No tricks, Curare, blink two times if you agree and one time if you don't, - she blinked two times and Batman nodded to someone behind her. Her arms were released, but her head and other parts of the body were still tied up to the table she was on, - Now...start from the beginning, and take it slow.

Her story was a short one - after some time in prison she managed to escape again, and returned to the temple of League of Assassins. She did not clarified why, but she was met with...forces, that captured temple. She never saw anything like them, but it looks like they knew everything about League's past doing, including the hunt on Curare for her failure. But those new assassins were good - they expected her, despite the fact that she managed to outsmart them for some time of her private investigation. She almost died in that temple and managed to escape, changing her tactics to learn more about the new assassins and their motives, to find the one who was on top of the new operation. Her searches led to Gotham, because there this new unknown organization had interests. Curare was after the lead about recent gang shootout, specifically after the leaders that went hiding. She stopped some of those assassins and tried to interrogate some of them, but they died.

\- How?

\- ...she says it looked like a heart attack, but she never saw assassins taking pills or injecting themselves anything, - said Bruce after translating her gestures. He was behind the Batcomputer, looking at the monitor and wearing his Gray Ghost suit, - She doesn't know details, she had no time.

\- Clearly.

\- ...she also says, that despite your rushed entrance, she can appreciate the fact you decided to side with her after your initial mistake. She forgives you for that mistake and accepts the fact of saving her own life.

\- And that means?...what?

\- It means that she wants to join forces, at least for a while of her investigation, - said Bruce, - She wants to find more about that group and find the leader to cut it's head and take his place, and all she needs is to investigate one location.

\- And why should I trust you? Or even help you? - Terry crossed his arm together on his chest, - If you will take his place, you will just rebuild the League of Assassins or take control of the one that took it's place.

Curare rolled her eyes and closed them, letting out an irritated sigh. She gathered her thoughts and pointed to her forehead and neck, that were under titanium straps, holding her to the special table. Terry raised his eyebrows on silent response and Curare sighed again, gesturing again.

\- She says she wants you to give her sword to make a blood promise to not attack you nor make operations in Gotham or making it suffer in her operations.

\- I don't think it will work that way, Curare, - Terry came closer to her, narrowing his eyes, - I am not falling for that.

Curare suddenly grabbed Terry by his wrist. Terry tried to shake her off, but she was just staring at him while holding his wrist in place with sudden iron grip. She slowly raised her left arm and extended it to Batman, showing inner side of her left hand. Curare used her two fingers with short sharp nails to open a part of her skin, showing Terry that under her skin there was a small lockpick device. The slowly released Batman and showed her right arm, opening her skin again and showing Terry tiny capsule. Carefully she opened a capsule and poured it on the stone floor, which started to slowly melt. She threw the capsule away along with the lockpick, reaching now for her shoulder when Terry stopped her by grabbing Curare's hand:

\- I got it. You have a lot of toys to escape, - she nodded in response, placing her hands together above her waist. Terry sighed and asked, - Boss, what do you think?

\- She is a dangerous individual, who can play her own game, but her expertise from League of Assassin along with Inque's knowledge of crime world could prove useful. It's your choice.

\- What is that blood promise you want to do? - asked Terry from her, checking how leg straps were holding up.

\- ...she can cut off her finger of your choosing. That makes me think that this is serious, Terry - she wouldn't harm herself if she wasn't committed to her cause to such degree.

\- I will take your word for now, let's not get so extreme...but you will be restrained until we return to the city.

Curare rolled her eyes again, but she placed her hands on the table and soon enough she had even more straps to hold her in place. Terry checked on her again, placed earmuffs on her and returned to Wayne, who was working at another formula, which Terry, surprisingly, understood:

\- Her poison? - he asked, looking at analysis.

\- Yes. Ancient, yet effective cardiotoxin...her ability to survive it long enough is extraordinary.

\- Guess they don't call her "Curare" for nothing...any other news?

\- Inque delivered everyone to Gordon, but all assassins died from sudden heart failure. Gordon will perform autopsy to get something and will press the survivors Inque delivered, but we got nothing for now, - Wayne glanced at Terry with a firm look, - You should sleep and get to your other life.

\- Got it, - Terry nodded and yawned tiredly, asking Wayne quietly, - ...how you can get those...

\- Moments of death and blood out of your head? - he finished Terry's question, turning in his chair to face McGinnis, - I wish I had an answer, but the only way I know is to focus on something else.

\- Doest it help?

\- Of course. Until it hits you again in your most private moment.

* * *

\- No, mom, I have a part-time job again, I am fine, - Max sighed, opening the door to her apartment and placing her bag with goods on the table, - ...sorry, I should've called you more...I will, I promise...love you too, - Max closed her phone and sighed, placing it on the table.

\- Family matters?

Max yelped frightfully, taking out a small hand-held taser from her pocket, but she was alone in her apertement. She gulped, looking around terrified, when voice spoke again:

\- I am sorry for invading private life like that, but I don't have a spare passkey.

\- W-who are you? - Max carefully looked into her room when she suddenly felt something wrapping around her wrist. It was some sort of black goo, that now held her hand with a taser firmly. Another tentacle wrapped around her waist, turning around to face..., - Inque!, - Max gasped, dropping taser on the floor from shock and surprise.

\- Hi, - she waved her normal hand, while being in her "Bat" form, - Max, right?

\- ...y-yes?...

\- Old man gave me your location, - Inque removed her tentacles inside her mass and crossed her arms together, - ...the old man.

\- ...oh, right...

\- I am creeping you out? - Inque asked with a genuine curiosity, raising one of her eyes in confusion.

\- T-That's like in an old comic book...and your suit is very elegant, but...

\- But I battled Batman several times, nearly killing him and old man...yeah, I know that too, - Inque sighed and reformed into her human form, still crossing her arms together.

\- ...and making Aaron into a monster, - Max gulped, gathering her courage to make that statement. She was in front of a deadly individual, maybe one of the deadliest on Earth, but she had to stand up to her, for own Max's sake.

\- ...I did turn him into a monster, but this is not the topic we will discuss, - Inque frowned, nodding towards the laptop, - This is why I am here.

\- You are not stealing it, are you?

\- And old man said you were smart, - Inque sighed, walking towards the laptop and taking a seat on the couch, - No, he send me because we both have something in common, - she grinned to Max, opening her laptop that was already turned on, - Breaking in.

\- ...how you?...I just made a new password and...

\- And installed some fail-safes, that were supposed to wipe the hard-drive, - she waved her hand, dismissing Max's words and clapping on the couch, inviting Max to sit down near her. After some hesitation, she sat near Inque who emerged several devices from her body.

\- Neat...and creepy, - commented Max, studying those devices, trying to get a hold on herself from all fear and adrenaline that coursed through her.

\- Get used to it, - Inque grinned at Max and pointed towards the laptop, - I want to see your abilities, and for our prelude...

\- ...sheesh...

\- ...I picked some targets for you, - Inque opened a file on the laptop and moved it towards Max, - Those targets are probably easy pickings, but we will see.

\- And you are here?..., - asked, carefully taking laptop and glancing at the list of targets.

\- To take your preliminary exam, - Inque placed her hands on the couch, taking a relaxed pose, - And probably teach you a thing or two.

\- Ter...Batman said...

\- I know his name, but let's stick with Batman, - interrupted Inque Max.

\- Right...Batman said, that you are some sort of professional thief and saboteur.

\- Have a degree in those fields, would you believe? - Inque grinned again, watching Max's work on the laptop, - Smashing everything is easy, but you will be paid ten times more for stealing without traces...or using computer systems for even more massive destruction, - seeing the expression on Max's face, Inque chuckled a bit, - Don't worry, it's in the past, I have something more interesting to do with my life right now.

\- Of course you do...oh no, - Max started to type furiously on the keyboard.

\- "Oh no"?

\- I-I was spotted, but I have some time to keep cover my trace...got it, - Max sighed, quickly closing all connections and shaking her hands, - They suddenly got very strong "ice" to work with.

\- It's because I put it there, - seeing Max's expression, Inque took a pause to appreciate that moment before continuing, - You wouldn't though that I will get you some targets that will harm you in our exam?

\- ...r-right...

\- You did everything right, and considering how outdated that piece of metal on her knees, I am even more impressed, - Inque started to talk seriously, making short gestures with her hand, - And you managed to get away, that's also impressive feat, but you are still an amateur...that's why we going to have a nice private time together.

\- Lady, what's with all those sexual innuendos?

\- Get used to it.

Inque was not a committed hacker, but she knew lots of things and concepts that Max overlooked. First of all, the "rig" - for Inque, it was trash-level rig, and Max needed something better and faster, preferably custom rig from the black market. Secondary, Inque touched some aspects of breaking through the "ice", and she gave Max several devices to help her stay low in the web and be a little more efficient, along with the custom software she managed to bought on the black market:

\- Those toys you had now can rest in piece, you better use those, - Inque nodded to the opened folder on the laptop, - And you can practice on the targets I gave you safely to get familiar with them.

\- Got it, - Max was about to install new files when Inque grabbed her hand, - What?

\- Don't believe anything, - she pointed with her other hand to the screen, - Use this to open the installer's code.

\- ...a-ha. It will also install a tracing malware, - Max frowned, looking at the code, already typing on the laptop, - I dealt with those before. Nothing major.

\- That's a rookie mistake, but considering how fast you dealt with it, I let it pass, - Inque suddenly turned her head towards the windows and let out a long sigh, - ...damn it.

\- What? - asked Max, but then she heard it herself - a sound of thunder, and with that sound came sounds of rain.

\- Guess we have a sleepover tonight, - said Inque with sour expression on her face.

\- Great...

\- Inque to Ghost, - she had a radiolink inside her mass for easy communications with Batman and Wayne, - Rain is blocking me. I will stay at Nerd's location...

\- Nerd?! - Max quietly asked, and Inque just winked in response.

\- ...for the time being.

\- Use this opportunity wisely, - responded Wayne to her, - I will inform Batman in the meantime.

\- Roger, - Inque sighed, turning to Max, - And will use it wisely, because I need your h...he...

\- Help? - suggested Max.

\- Exactly. Still have trouble with that...

\- Help with what?

\- ...this, - Inque ejected a disk from inside her mass, released it from safety packaging and inserted inside the laptop, - This will not leave this room, or will force myself on you in so many imaginative ways...

\- I got it, - Max quickly interrupted Inque, opening the disks content...but soon enough she looking at Inque with a confused face, - ...why you...you don't have any education?

\- Yep, and old man wants me to get one. I don't mind, I want it actually, but this is embarrassing for world's greatest thief and saboteur.

\- I can imagine that...this will not leave the room, I promise you, - Max nodded to Inque, - But I will have to do my own studies, so we will have to take some breaks.

\- No problems with that. Just don't offer we anything that has H2O in it.

* * *

\- Is it wise to tell Inque about Max? - asked Terry while loading up utility belt.

\- Her motherly instincts came back, - responded Wayne while studying Curare's equipment on the table nearby, - And despite how she talks, she could associate Max with her daughter, developing a bond.

\- Were you certain that Inque would change?

\- She developed a desire for it, that was fueled from her doubt and traumatic experience, - Wayne closed his eyes and rubbed nose-bridge to focus on his thoughts, - You pushed her further towards the right way, Terry, but it would be all for nothing if she wasn't willing to change.

\- You calculated it all, don't you? - asked Terry, taking on his suit.

\- There was a seventy percent chance of success based from my observations and making her psychological profile.

\- That's about thirty percent chance to fail...pretty big numbers.

\- I know...and I did this because you were right, - suddenly said Bruce, turning to Terry with a tired expression on his face, - Victor Fries tried to change, and he put a lot of effort to pay for his past mistakes. I didn't trusted him, and I didn't trusted Inque...but I gave up on Victor, - Wayne shook his head and returned to the table, studying Curare's armor pieces, - There is a difference between being skeptical, cautious individual and the one that buries without any second thought. And to be honest, Terry, - Wayne glanced at him for a second with a keen glance, - I don't want you to follow my mistakes of giving up when there is a chance of saving someone. That...that what makes you Batman - the ability not only stop crime from committing, but to make someone change it's destructive path, - Wayne sighed and pressed his hand on the cane, looking around the Batcave, - I gave up during last decades, and it is not something I would be proud of, but if Inque could change her path...that would be a small victory for me.

\- She hasn't changed it yet?

\- She is in transition between her past and possible future, - explained Wayne, looking at Terry, - And she will be tested more and more with temptations, grief, rage, loss...and so will you. In time, of course, when life decides to do so.

\- ...I hope we will get through this, - Terry put on his mask and after some concentration got his "Bat-voice", - Right now I think we will have to take Curare for a sight seeing, since she told us about a possible lead.

\- You probably need this for her, - Bruce gave Terry a strange device of round shape, which he took with a confused expression, - She can't talk due to her trauma, but this could help - it reads throats vibrations and interprets them directly to radiolink.

\- ...and it probably serves as tracking device.

\- Precisely, - Wayne grinned, nodding to Terry, - She could try to cut it with her sword, but that would be too dangerous.

\- Right, I am just gonna too tell her good news, - sighed Terry, taking this device and walking towards the Curare, who turned to face Terry who put out her earmuffs, - You will not like, but this is how we do it - you put this on your neck, and will be able to communicate, - she took a look at the device and returned her frowned gaze back to Terry, - ...yes, this has the tracking beacon, - Terry pressed the buttons, retracting straps from Curare's forehead and neck. She sighed and leaned forward, allowing Terry to place this device on her neck. Upon activation, Curare started to test this device, and it took several minutes to make it work right. When she finally said a set of random words for testing purpose without error, she turned to face Batman:  
\- You will. Take this. Off, - Curare's device send a robotic female voice, that was constantly stopping when she tried to talk, - You. Promise. This. Or no. Deal.

\- I will take this off when this is over, and you will keep your bargain, - Terry crossed his arm together, narrowing his eyes at Curare.

\- My word. For yours, - she looked at her body that was still tied up and glanced impatiently at McGinnis.

\- You are not going to like it.

Terry wasn't lying - it was too dangerous to even think about setting Curare free. He tied her up again to the table, put earmuffs on, closed her vision with special device Bruce lend him, and after some voyage around the Batcave (Bruce told Terry that she would attempt to count how many turns and steps in would be to Batmobile for future occurrences) for ten minutes straight, Terry placed Curare on the front seat, tying her arms together behind it with magnetic handcuffs and tying up her legs too. The Batmobile itself was upgraded a bit to be able to carry a second person in not so comfortable position, but it was at least something. Terry took his seat behind Curare, and flew out into the night, flying around in the Gotham outskirts for at least thirty minutes before he decided to take the blindfold device off Curare. She sighed with a relief and took a look around her, studying Batmobile from the inside. From outside there was a stormy rainfall that greatly reduced visibility.

\- Where was your lead?

\- Hideout. Lower Gotham. Ground level. South-east. Will lead you. To it.

\- You traced those assassins to their hideout? - Terry turned Batmobile down while watching at Curare's reflection, - Why you didn't took them down?

\- Risky. Better chances. Together.

\- And no killing, we need them...

\- They. Are. Already. Dead, - Curare glanced at Batman with a firm look, - We need. Someone. Who. Isn't.

\- ...you got a point, but if they are already dead, we don't have to kill them still.

\- No. Promises.

Soon enough Curare told Terry to stop over the ruined building, and both of them dropped down to the rooftop. Terry gave Curare her sword back, which she took with a little surprise on her face, but she quickly regained her composure, pointing forward:

\- On foot. Stay low.

\- I think I can manage that, - said Terry, turning optical camo on, - Ladies first.

Curare dashed instantly, startling Batman with her sudden movement, and he followed her through the rooftop of lower Gotham. She had impressive abilities to jump around silently, considering that she did not had to wear a special suit to make such moves. Terry also notices, that her moving was far different from Inque's - Curare was running with a determination and clarity, taking only short glances, while Inque moved around to avoid attention. Curare also had a hand on her sword all the time she was running, leading Batman to an abandoned building on the intersection. She stopped, taking cover and observing the area, allowing Terry to take time for scanning the building.

\- Nothing on thermal, - said Batman, looking around.

\- It will be nothing - the readings on thermal vision are abnormal, - said Wayne, studying the building with Terry, - Take a closer look at building.

\- ...clever, - he said quietly, studying the building again. If it wasn't for Wayne's advice, Terry could easily missed this thing, but there was no heat at all coming from building, while there were thermal sources inside - makeshift campfires, - This is probably it.

\- It is. The place, - said Curare, looking around the intersection, - They are nearby. Not here. We have time. Not much, - saying that, Curare dropped down and rolled, running towards the building.

It was another abandoned apartment, but as Terry took a closer look around on the ground floor, he noticed that the walls were smeared with some sort of goo - probably the material that dampened thermal vision. Another thing was a cable, that was hidden in the ceiling and was going somewhere upwards inside small crack. Curare noticed the cable too and pointed silently Batman at it, while slowly going to the stairway, probing walls and floors with her sword first - for traps. She managed to trigger some of them - one with kunai, one with a false floor that led into a pit, and that turned on electrical charges inside the walls. Going up the stairway managed surprise Terry with another set of traps, some of which were very lethal if given chance to be triggered when they were supposed to. Slowly going up, Curare found a cable and followed it two more floors up before she and Batman saw it bending towards the room. Silently approaching it, Curare pressed her ear to the door while Terry prepared a batarang and a capsule.

\- What. Is. It? - she asked, taking a closer look at capsule.

\- Flashbang.

\- Too loud. Smoke bad too. Visible.

\- You have a point, - Terry placed capsule inside the utility belt and took another batarang out instead. Curare placed her hand on the door knob and pointed to herself, then to the door. Terry nodded, getting her idea - On three. One, two...three!

She opened the door and rolled in, quickly taking down one man with three hits. Terry followed her a second later, throwing his batarangs in succession to stun another two men that were startled by their assault. Taking quick look around, Curare nodded to Batman and he closed the door, studying the room they entered. It was filled with lots of equipment - laptops, scramblers, jammers, servers, power generator, giant dish that was inside the room...and people inside this room were not the assassins - they had civilian plain clothes, no tattoos or anything. Terry approached all of them, transmitting images to Batcave:

\- Can you dig on them?

\- Give me moment, running facial recognition...interesting. They were former employers of "New Dawn", they left it just a few month ago...but somehow they were legally payed, judging by transactions history.

\- ...and boss, I got something, - Terry took a closer look at radar dish, carefully opening a part of it to reveal partially destroyed serial number, - That's...I have a feeling that's from the train wreck.

\- And you are right. That radar dish is manufactured by "Wayne-Powers".

\- So those new assassins are cooperating or outright founding "New Dawn"? - Terry took a look at Curare,who was studying her killed man throughly.

\- ...it could make sense. "New Dawn" could be just a way to push this new League's interests, that could explain their support in Senate, sudden growth of personnel and popularity along with their immense funding. But that is not enough for us, we need to find a members of "New Dawn" who could be directly connected to illegal operations.

\- Guess you are one step closer to find your enemy, - said Terry to Curare, who just nodded silently, - Also, what all this tech do?

\- They were connected to the web, judging by this radar dish specs and equipment. Search the area for clues, and try to take those people to Gordon.

\- Got it, - Terry started to carefully search around, starting with unconscious people, - Burn-phones, several fake ID's and credit cards for them...laser pistols, retractable batons...

\- Logs, - Curare showed Terry PDA she found, and pointed towards the equipment, - They were. Gathering. Information.

\- Well, no chance to open it here, it has no ports, - Terry looked at password encryption and took PDA with him, placing it inside the utility belt, - But their equipment is not locked, they were using it, - he sat on the floor, taking wireless keyboard to dig around files, - ...Boss, you see this?

\- Apparently they were studying Gotham gangs, creating an influence map of lower Gotham, - said Bruce, looking at the screen closely, - They probably knew how to push gangs into shootout. What else?

\- Security cameras, they are placed inside gangs hideouts or meeting points...and..., - Terry looked behind him, inspecting the ceiling. Curare traced his sight too, - ...and this place.

\- You have to get out of here, now, - Bruce even rose up in his chair, - They probably know about your presence.

\- They already. Are, - Curare quickly stepped back as she and Terry saw how slow the door opened. The door revealed three figures in black outfits with light armor parts, and they stepped inside the room, closing the door carefully. Terry quickly grabbed two unconscious men while Curare grabbed the third one, slowly backing towards windows.

\- Curare, - one of the figures spoke, placing his hand on the sword grip, - How you managed to disappoint us - is beyond any comprehension.

\- We wanted to give you a merciful death, a fine gift for your failures, - another figure spoke, it was a woman, - But you allied yourself with Batman.

\- This is the final nail, Curare - everyone knows, that you are not assassin anymore, - third figure spoke as this trio took their slow steps towards Batman and Curare, - You are a beast, pressed to the corner, trying to get revenge and be on top again.

\- That is not how things work, - the first one spoke again, slowly drawing his sword from scabbard, - If you manage to kill us, you will be hunted by others.

\- Because you are a failure, - woman spoke again, taking out two daggers.

\- Because you are a traitor, - third figure spoke, activating retractable katars on on his wrists.

\- Because you are afraid to die, - finished the first figure, changing his stance in unison with other assassins.

Curare drew out her sword and took a quick swing, aiming at the floor in front of her. Just as Terry thought, she wanted to cut down part of the building in order to escape to open space of intersection, and it did collapsed backwards. Curare and Terry managed to drop down with their captives, but that trio followed instantly after them. Taking a step back, Batman and Curare exchanged one's eyes for a moment, dropping they captives and handcuffing them while the trio was approaching. Taking a defensive stance, Batman and Curare pressed their backs to each other without saying a word. The assassins slowly surrounded them, taking their time to study both of them.

They attacked in unison - the "dagger woman" closed her distance with Terry, forcing him to block both of her daggers while Curare was also forced into a block when "katar-guy" captured her wrist with both of his weapons. Terry and Curare turned towards the "sword" assassin, that was already performing a horizontal slash in order to cut down both of them in one strike. Terry used his rocket thruster on left leg to deflect the sword safely, while also sending him and "dagger woman" away. Curare took this opportunity to raise her free hand and pluck out an eye from "katar"...but, to her surprise, it only made him release his grip, since the eye was a cybernetic one. Throwing cyber-eye away, she quickly delivered two blows - one to "katar's" knee and one "sword's" head that tried to charge into Curare. She back-flipped to Batman, who was in the process of apprehending his opponent - while he took several slices to his suit, he managed to get one dagger out by breaking her wrist, but "dagger" suddenly hit him with dagger's hilt right into his chin and was about to plunge dagger into Batman's heart when Curare intervened by slicing "dagger's" hand off and plunging her own sword inside "dagger's" stomach, aiming for guts. While doing so, her side was open to sudden charge of "katar" and "sword", who were intercepted by Batman - he grabbed Curare by her waist and threw her away, accidentally throwing her in such way that she hit her head hard. Activating wrist-blades to deflect incoming blows, Terry started his dance with two opponents, but a cautious one. "Sword" was careful and pushed Batman backwards while "katar" disengaged from combat and went for Curare, trying to pierce her from behind. Blocking the sword with wrist-blades again, Terry used one hand to shoot a batarang to "katar's" back of the head, stunning him briefly. It was enough time for Curare to roll onto her back and slice "katar" vertically, while kicking his dead corpse away.

"Sword" was not waiting - he took the opportunity to press onto Batman's blocking hand, making him fall on his knees, disengaging from block and hitting Terry in the forehead with a hilt. While Terry was stunned briefly, "sword" hit Terry again with his own knee to his chin and raising his blade to pierce Terry right into his stomach. But suddenly he threw something out from his hand towards Curare, that was about to help Batman. That "something" was electrical discharge that hit Curare right into her chest, making her fell to the ground, shaking violently. "Sword" was about to finish with Batman when Terry suddenly hit him right under waist area. Quickly grabbing "sword's" hip with his legs, Terry rolled over to knock off "sword" from his feet. Taking the advantage of it, Batman reached for "sword's" forehead and delivered a powerful blow to in, rendering "sword" unconscious. Taking his moment to breath, Terry slowly rose up and walked to downed Curare, carefully removing electrical discharge from her bloodstained chest. He extended his hand towards Curare, and she after hesitation took it, slowly rising up.

\- Boss, anything on thermal? - Terry let out a sigh, taking a quick look around.

\- Nothing. I am sending Batmobile to evacuate captives to GCPD.

\- Got it, - Terry looked at Curare, who was staring at him with a strange look in her eyes, - ...I know, we had a deal...and I am a man of my word. Turn around, - when she did that, Terry took out her neck device, noticing the scar from the back of her neck. She slowly rubbed her neck, turning towards Batman only to stare at him again, - What?

She closed her eyes, letting out a sigh. Turning her head up, to upper level of Gotham, Curare looked at them for quite a time, while Terry was busy with the captives. Closing her eyes again for a moment, she walked to Batman and pat him on a shoulder. After a lot of consideration, Curare...knelt down, slowly taking out her sword from scabbard and extending it to Batman, while lowering her head down, facing cracked asphalt.

\- ...Boss? - asked Terry when his initial shock went off.

\- Now that is something new...she probably considered her options and decided to side with you in order to win. And if she is ready to sacrifice her freedom and past...she is truly committed to it.

\- What should I do?

\- ...It was not easy to join League of Shadows - you had to come a lot of trials to even be considered worthy...while Curare is capable assassin, her methods are not ours. She must understand that, as Inque did, if you thinking about accepting Curare as an asset. Her sword should be yours, and she has to prove that with her actions.

\- What about loyalty issues? - Terry asked, standing over knelt Curare. She was not moving at all, waiting.

\- She was loyal to her cause until it turned around her. It is clear that she has no desire to die for something she doesn't truly believe in, - Bruce took a pause, closing his eyes and thinking about situation, - I don't like the idea of having Curare around, but if she will commit her loyalty to your cause...she could be proved useful.

\- It won't be the same with Inque, - sighed Batman.

\- It won't be. That is your choice - you know that she is hunted by this new League, that is also our enemy.

\- How can we use her?

\- While Curare is specialized at assassination, we could use her talents to extract a target, - Bruce started to type on the Batcomputer, opening needed files, - I made my own investigation and found out that coast guard's captain, that was supposed to appear and block the shipment, still receives to this day small transactions to his credit deposit that started several weeks before the raid. They are carefully masked, because those credits are dirty.

\- New League pays him for his service, so he could know something we need, - concluded Terry.

\- Exactly, and they can not kill him because it will draw attention...I will upload all the information I got to first data-pad.

\- Curare, please, stand up, you are making me uneasy with that, - Curare slowly rose up and put her sword inside her scabbard. Terry took out a spare data-pad from Batmobile where information was already uploaded. Curare took the data-pad from Terry, quickly studying it's content while Terry was speaking to her, - You have one chance, if you want in. Get this man alive, without anyone seeing you, without any traces left to track you...and without killing. This man should not see you at all under all circumstances, - she met with Batman's glare and nodded slightly, - When you will get him, take him to this location, - Terry took the data-pad, opening a file with a map of Gotham outskirts area, - You have three nights to do that, - he gave Curare data-pad back, but she refused to take it, pointing to her temple a few times, and than she pointed to neck device.

\- She wants to make it harder on herself by memorizing it from the first time and to let you track her.

\- Three nights, - Terry gave Curare neck device and launched himself into the air, extending gliding wings. The Batmobile slowly followed him, with three people and one assassin being inside the special net.

Curare didn't waste any time - she ran off to prepare herself, closing the device on her own neck, reaching for the first sewer entry and disappearing inside the shadows. She has some time to wash herself and to dress up the wounds she got from the fight, and only then she will move onto her target.

She will not disappoint. She will not be a failure again. Not when there was a chance for revenge given by some sort of providence. And to be able to do that, she will use those three night to full extent.

* * *

 **Yup. Curare. Another femme-fatale joins in.**

 **I have no other commentary on that, so wait for another chapter. I am hoping that plot's speed is just about right, and small hints are really small.**

 **At least I managed to get some sleep, finally.**


	5. Tonight

**Hello there. This one was a hard to write, since many plotlines are coming together and even more are developing...but also due to the reason how to make ending scene good. When you will reach that scene, scroll to ending notes before continuing read it.**

 **It's all hard to make from logical point. I don't say what I do is perfect from logical point or making justice to characters (since there are not many views and zero feedback, which I really want), but when you look at comics, they have some strange things happening with logic, abilities, morality, etc. The approach I made is something that comic books will not do - sharing experience, vision, traits, and other things that would make characters not just more powerful, but they could be changed for good. The only example I can provide is "Death And Return Of Superman Pitch" by Max Landis (which, now I realize, inspired me. Good stuff btw) who made such thing possible as Batman training Superman.**

 **I repeat. Batman. Trains. Superman. Why this never happened before? Why this never happened at all? I have some ideas why, but hey, this is a fifth dimension, the Twilight Zone, the realm of imagination where everything possible. And here it is possible to make characters influencing each other in different ways. Sure they will hold onto what makes them, but they can change many aspects.**

 **That is all. Enjoy. Death to typos!**

* * *

\- So, how was a sleepover? - Terry asked Max, while they were outside of college on a parking lot.

\- At first I was so scared I forgot my name...and her constant threats with lewd implications were also not helping, - Max grumbled, sitting near Terry's bike with her palms pressed to her face, - I mean, she is!..., - Terry shook Max by her shoulder, pointing to college building and Max lowered her voice, - She is someone who nearly got you killed. Several times!...how do you cope with this?

\- I wasn't sure myself what to do when we met at the manor, - said Terry, sitting near Max, - She took on a whole team that tried to rob Deanna, and...something inside told me to help her, and later she asked for help herself. Of course it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows - I still had to take some precaution when I was dealing with her...but she wasn't the same anymore, at least to some degree.

\- I noticed that, - Max nodded to Terry's words, letting out a long sigh, - She was weird, creepy and scary at first, but later she became something...else. She shared her experience with me yesterday and she wants to take me to trusted black market dealer to buy me new rig, - Max smiled softly, rubbing her neck shyly, - She even praised me for my skills.

\- Schway, - Terry raised his eyebrows and pat Max on her back, - Maybe you can win over her heart after all, - Terry looked at his wrist device to check time, and soon he was already starting bike's engine.

\- ...Terry, are you sure about her? I know you and Wayne had experience in dealing with such individuals, but...

\- She told us her story, - Terry glanced at Max with a serious expression before putting his helmet on, - Maybe she will her to you, but she wouldn't share it if she wasn't sure...and we have something in common, all three of us.

\- I know, but still...what if she falls back in?

\- She was about to, mister Wayne got her out by taking a huge risk...never thought that he could do something like that..., - Terry closed his visor on the helmet, continuing, - She was treated like a slave or a tool, and maybe for the first time in her life she is treated like a person. And judging by how we are all alive and she kept our secret, she values that.

\- What about Curare?

\- ...that's much more complicated. Wayne thinks that we should get some allies, because what ever this is, it's bigger than anything we faced before...call you tonight, Max.

\- Yeah, I was afraid you say that...

After he left school and went to college Terry got an official part-time internship at "Wayne-Powers" in pharmacology department, since it was the area Terry was most interested of - studying poisons, diseases, making medical drugs and special serums...it felt fitting. Of course, with the Batman life he couldn't study in the college and actively attend to it, but Wayne used his connections and influence to allow Terry appear two times a week for some hours after college, which stretched his internship for a long time. It was also a good thing, since "Wayne-Powers" had a very loyal support program for interns, thus he was paid and from Wayne's own wallet, and for this internship, which will - probably - give him a job at "Wayne-Powers". Today was not the day of internship, and Terry drew straight back home. Mother was already there, it was her day off from the shift, while Matt was already playing some new VR-game in his room. Terry walked into his room and dropped on his bed, staring into the ceiling for a long time, trying to get his thoughts together...but there was something on the ceiling, some piece of paper attached with a blue adhesive tape. When Terry read that letter, his eyes widened and his spine shivered with cold, and it took time to close his eyes back and relax before saying:

\- I got your message. You can come out.

\- Finally, - Inque appeared under his bed, taking place on his work desk, crossing her legs one over another and taking a quick look around the room, - It was hard to stay hidden when your mother decided to make sudden vacuum cleaning, I had to get parts of myself from the bag, - Inque shivered, trying to get over the traumatic experience, - Yuck.

\- Why are you here? - Terry said quietly, approaching Inque and glancing to his backpack where Batsuit was stuffed, - If you think you can come over and...

\- "She was treated like a slave or a tool", - Inque suddenly ejected a data-pad from her mass, opening recorded audio-log, - "and maybe for the first time in her life she is treated like a person. And judging by how we are all alive and she kept our secret, she values that".

\- ...you bugged Max and followed her to place beacon on me, - Terry hit his face hard with open palm, taking steps back to his bed and sitting down on it.

\- That was actually old man's idea - he wanted to see how Max would perform in such scenario, and he needed me to do it as discretely as possible, - Inque gave her data-pad to Terry, - Wipe it yourself, I do not have other copies.

\- But that's not why you are here, - said Terry, erasing everything from data-pad, just to be sure, - Because you could've come back to Max and tell her about the exam.

\- Could've, - she nodded, placing her hands on the work desk, staring at McGinnis with a stranger thoughtful expression, - But that little conversation confirmed a lot...and, don't be mad now at me, I tracked you even in college to get your ID and peeked around the house, - seeing how Terry changed his face from confusion to suppressed rage, Inque raised her hands in the air, - I said, don't be mad at me, I wasn't stealing or touching or bugging anything...especially when I noticed how your brother and mother were looking at this, - she pointed to small electro display, where a photo of Terry's family was projecting. Him, Matt, mother...and father. Seeing him made Terry calm down a bit, and Inque continued, - ...and seeing how you reacted now...I own you an apology. I learned that original Batman is a cunning fox, and he takes risks when needed, that's why I needed to find proof that your story was a legit one. Now I see it is.

\- That is why you are here? - Terry asked, looking straight at Inque.

\- That was yet another reason...the final reason you just deleted from the data-pad, - she pointed to it, slightly grinning, - Audio-logs.

\- Right...

\- I know that you meant that, because it doesn't seem like you lie to Max about such things, - she continued, slightly grinning, - And I can appreciate such kind and honest words...you probably should tell that more often and openly. That's why I think we need to...come with a terms with each other.

\- Say again? - Terry now was confused even more.

\- You are still uneasy when I am nearby, - explained Inque, now changing her position and resting on Terry's desk on her right side, - That maybe cute, but we need to deal with that.

\- I guess we can't just pay for a shrink.

\- And we probably need one for married couples, - Inque grinned again, - But I have a suggestion, we can...

\- I can already give you better one, - Terry quickly interrupted Inque, who blinked several times in confusion. Taking his time to carefully think about it, Terry continued after a pause, - And we can use your suggestion later, but I want you to tell me about Aaron Herbst.

\- ...what?! - she sat on his deck, trying to keep her voice down, but she was nearly hissing in anger.

\- You pretty much broke his life and used him, - Terry kept his voice quite, meeting Inque's fiery gaze, - And I want to know everything what happened between both of you and what you really feel about him, - she went silent, still trying to cope with her anger, but Terry knew he hit the right nerve, - You already told about your past, and you could trust this with at least with me. Since, you know, - he nodded to his room, - You are at my place.

\- ...I hate him, - Inque sat onto his desk, grabbing her legs with her arms and pressing them closer to her, - That was my first thought when he broke me out of this freezing hell, - she closed her eyes to concentrate for a moment, - ...imagine...that you are stuck, you can't move but you can see, you can think, you can hear...and you are alone, - she quickly glanced at McGinnis, who was listening to her seriously, - And here it comes, Aaron Herdst, - she cringed from his name for a second, - A loser, a loner, very stupid and moronic man with no core to stand up to anyone...he comes to you every day, checking on your equipment, and tells about his boring and pathetic life, - she turned to face Terry, still sitting on his desk, - But I could endure that, no problem with that, but later he started to show his obsession with me.

\- ...can you talk about it? - Terry knew what she implied by those words, considering what she already implied about her being very young mother when Inque told her story in hospital.

\- I think I should...can I? - she pointed towards Terry's bed and after his nod she slithered there, sitting near him. She let out a sigh, glancing at McGinnis, - I was inside that ice box you put me in, and that was my only barrier from him. He started to approach me closer and closer with each passing day, telling how he worshiped me and my power...later, he started to be even more intimate with me, - she shrugged, clenching her fists together and trying to put it aside, while Terry was waiting for Inque to continue, - And those moments came into sexual fantasies he was forcing on me with his existence.

\- ...that is why you decided to use him to your advantage, - nodded Terry to her, - And you gave him messed up formula to take your revenge.

\- It felt good, seeing this slithering worm in a state he deserves to be, - she said harshly, waving her hands violently, nearly hitting Terry in the process, - And no, I do not feel sorry for him, I never will, after all that torture he put me through, - Inque stood up and started to walk around the room, rubbing her face trying to stay calm, but her voice kept raising from emotions that were buried long time ago. She stopped after a while and looked at Terry again, - But I know I shouldn't done that to Aaron, should've just break a few bones and scare the living crap out of him...and probably send some messages to GCPD about his perversions. And maybe break another set of bones just to be sure that he got the message clearly...

\- But turning him into Cronenberg monster was a mistake?

\- ...maybe, - she said with uncertainty in her voice, - I don't know...damn it, how you manage to be Batman with a heart? - she sat on the bed beside him, - How?

\- Let's say that I have done things on the streets when I was young, - Terry frowned for a moment, - Joined a gang, was a familiar face at GCPD for some time...and eventually they busted everyone. I was able to escape the sentence - underage kid's don't go to prison, they have JDC for months, not years...and being Batman means I can make up for it and look in the mirror again, - Terry took a look at the picture again before he finished, - Sometimes I can make a difference, save someone, but that's not easy...it never is.

\- That's not what I asked, but I got it, - Inque leaned back, now laying on Terry's bed and looking to ceiling, slowly reaching for it with her tentacle arm to get her note back, - ...compassion is a weakness your enemies won't share - that's your old man's words, but that is what makes you different, what makes Batman different from other's...and me, - Inque glanced at Terry again for some time before she sat back and continued, while slightly grinning, - Now I feel guilty for trying to kill you and not guilty at all for forcing myself on you...Gotham Arena?

\- ...oh. Right. Let's discuss that in a few eternities later?

\- I know you liked it, despite how resistant you were...even are, - Inque got up and stretched a little, looking at Terry with a very familiar smile, - We talked about Aaron, but you killed the mood with it, so my proposition will wait...for now.

* * *

\- ...that's what she said? - asked Wayne, while he and Terry were working on Batmobile. Terry took the opportunity to talk with him while Inque was on the videolink with Max, explaining how she bugged and tracked her. Max was seriously ashamed that Inque was testing her further.

\- Exactly, - Terry nodded, checking sensors and navcomputer.

\- Despite what she is going through, she is still dangerous manipulative individual. You should cut it while you can.

\- It's going nowhere anyway...

\- You sure? - Bruce looked at Terry with a skeptical expression.

\- ...now that you asked, I am not so sure, - admitted Terry, glancing at Inque for a second, - ...I know what you did with women in your time, but...I think it's better to see where this is going. She might just play around, as she usually does, or maybe she wants to get some company.

\- You should keep an eye on her and keep her close enough to be able to distance yourself...did you checked your apartment for devices?

\- I did, nothing. The bug that was on the bike she already took out, nothing else was there.

\- Good, - Bruce sighed tiredly, finishing with the repairs, - Gordon called. She wants to speak with both of you in about an hour.

\- Should I start to get accustomed to those meetings with her?

\- If she continues them.

When Batmobile was finally ready for lift off, Inque quickly slithered inside the cockpit behind the main seat, placing her hands on top of it and taking her "Bat" form. Terry ran the pre-launch sequence and soon left Batcave, flying towards the GCPD. But when both Batman and Inque noticed that bat-signal activated, Batman increased flight speed, trying not to bump into anyone flying around. The rooftop of the GCPD was full with the cops, that were taking away some man that was tied up to the projector. Gordon observed the process of freeing this unknown person, and she turned towards Inque and Batman when they dropped down to her.

\- That's not mine.

\- I know. He is a coast guard captain, and he already told us that someone was trying to set up his death by accident, - Gordon waved to cops to take this man inside the GCPD, - He said he that someone saved him and took him to unknown location, he couldn't saw who it was...and the feed form security cameras was wiped out, - Gordon turned towards Batman and Inque, continuing after she took a long look at Inque, - And all this happened in their HQ. No one saw anything or anyone, no traces, no bodies, but there was a small hint in his story - a female computer simulated voice that was interrogating him, - Gordon took out her glasses and started to clean them up, - And that interrogation led our captain to confess in many shady dealing and corruption schemes, including the latest episode with the shipment raid.

\- Good to know. Anything on our captives?

\- Some of them are behind the bars still, we placed some snitches into their cells, some were released after legit bail and suits storming my offices, but we tail them carefully, - Gordon put her glasses back on, glancing to stairway, - Government agents came in this morning and extracted all the corpses of the assassins - the one you brought died from a heart attack, but I managed to make autopsy before suits came in.

\- And why they heart suddenly stopped working?

\- Some sort of biomechanical implant that is connected to brain, that's all I can tell you, - Gordon frowned, looking at Terry closely, - The same thing was with other assassins..except for those who died in a more violent ways.

\- It was Curare, - said Terry without any second thought. He knew that lying to Gordon is impossible, and he had no reason to lie...but he had reasons to drop some details, - We bumped into each other when assassins took on us, had to join forces for a while. For now, she disappeared again.

\- I see, - Gordon nodded with a strange look. She noticed that there was something fishy, but for now she had nothing to back up her words, - Let's hope that she will draw their attention...for now we have another problem. Sam is fighting against "New Dawn" - they are pushing really hard to get more contracts inside Gotham, while there are discussions behind doors about using PMC for Gotham's protection, - Gordon frowned again, going towards the edge of the roof to look at sprawling megalopolis, - Recent failure only made our position worse, and I know that there are snitches inside this very HQ. We can't connect those three former "New Dawn" operatives to their illegal activities, but if we had something to make them talk...

\- They could provide us information about "New Dawn" agenda and use it to push them back, - said Terry, crossing his arms on his chest, - What about train wreck?

\- The investigation was met with many bureaucratic obstacles, - Gordon turned back to face Batman and Inque, taking out a data-pad from her inner pocket and giving it to Batman, - But you just happen to have a location where this train is stationed for expertise...along with other data I managed to discover from my side. Of course, it's guarded - both by police and "Wayne-Powers" personal security forces, and if I will be reported that Batman was spotted there, I will have to act against you again, since you have no clearance to this location.

\- That sounds like my specialty, - said Inque for the first time, receiving data-pad from Batman and studying it's contents, - Definitely.

\- Another lead about that carbide dealer was also a dead end, - Gordon continued, placing her hands inside her coat's pockets, - And I don't like it - someone has lots of resources to spend on such operations, and we don't have any idea why, beside making "New Dawn" a superstar to replace GCPD...also, Sam prepared a speech about this situation, he wants to come out with it by the end of next week, and I have a feeling that this situation could be used as advantage, considering that both "New Dawn" and those assassins are connected.

\- You have a plan?

\- Of course I have. I will cut any contacts with you and will made everyone belief that our partnership ended, maybe I will say some harsh things for public to make it more believable, probably will set the GCPD against you, - Gordon smiled, looking at bewildered Batman, - Thus I will have both of you as an ace in the hole.

\- Got it. Anything else?

\- That's all for tonight, but I won't turn my back to you so you could do that trick...at least this time.

\- Fair enough, - Terry nodded, turning towards the Batmobile and flying to it. With Inque jumped inside, Terry closed cockpit and carefully flew away from the GCPD HQ, - Boss, you got that all?

\- Of course. Inque, is data-pad wireless?

\- I am connecting it right now, - she said, leaning on Terry's seat with her back and working with the data-pad, - It has lots of information on it - interrogation videos, Gordon's personal notes, witnesses testimonies...she even made splicers talk, - her eyes widened, as she was reading the reports, - Now that's some dedication I haven't seen in police for a while.

\- I will study it, but right now you need to return to Batcave. We have to prepare both of you for tonight.

\- Breaking and entering? - asked Inque with a grin on her face.

\- I prefer to call it "private investigation", - retorted Wayne.

\- ...breaking with the purpose of private investigation, - said Inque after a pause.

\- I just realized. Curare, - Terry widened his eyes, glancing at the monitor.

\- Curare? - Inque changed her position, now casually placing her hands on Batman's shoulders.

\- You always should keep track of such things, - said Wayne, leaning back in his chair to think it over, - Test her loyalty further, she must wait there until you come back. Maybe even come back not on the third night, but on the fourth or fifth - it is enough time for her to start doubting herself and her actions.

When Inque and Terry came back to Batcave, Bruce started to work with Inque, since it was her night to make "private investigations", and to do that she needed the right tools that would be easily transported inside her mass in order to save her mobility. After some time Wayne and Inque came to conclusion, that it would be better to store devices in disassembled state, which she will assemble only when needed. New radiolink with signal booster was very little in size, but most important thing was a special sensor that used kinetic energy to charge up. With that sensor her periscope vision vastly improved, but there were downsides - with each device stuffed inside Inque's mass her mobility and tactical capabilities reduced, and even small radiolink did not allowed her to slither through small cracks and gaps between doors:

\- And I need to carry all that stuff, - Inque crossed her arms together, looking at devices that were on the table in disassembled state, - While this same stuff makes me like feel like a jelly filled with bolts...will improvise on the fly, not my first time.

\- And what about "New Dawn"? - asked Terry from Wayne.

\- We need to set up a plan to get inside, - he rubbed his chin thoughtfully, - And this includes careful observation from legal point. We will get inside with a friendly visit, I already came up with agenda for Bruce Wayne and set up a meeting, but we should play carefully. After that we will study old building schematics.

\- Why we don't get an up-to-date schematics? - now asked Inque, constantly assembling and disassembling some device with her tentacles that came from her fingers, - I know some people who could sell us this information.

\- They could warn "New Dawn" about incoming...breaking and entering, - Wayne sighed slightly, closing his eyes for a second, - And we need the advantage of surprise. If Curare behaves like I want her to, this will be her second trial.

\- And how many trials should we put her through? - asked Terry, rubbing the back of his neck.

\- As many as it takes. But considering the threat we are dealing with, using Curare would benefit us for the time being.

\- Do you got any ideas what they want to pull of?

\- At least not for now, we need more information.

* * *

Next days went pretty quite - Inque managed to infiltrate unseen inside the train depot and filled Batcomputer with needed data, which Bruce started to analyze with Barbara, and both Inque and Batman were busy with keeping piece in Gotham as usual, while also keeping their training, both in combat and outside of it. Inque managed to get Max new rig and software, still training her to be a better computer expert and field operative, while also she continued her education from Max, Wayne and Terry, and to everyone's surprise, she picked up things very fast.

But when time came to visit Curare, Terry decided to visit her on the next night, and right now he was slowly driving his Batmobile to the city outskirts, where an automated water distribution station was located, right near lake and several small fields. The tracking signal from collar was there, as it was days before, but her sword could've easily cut it. Taking a tracking device with him, Terry dropped down from Batmobile when he reached lake, but he already saw her figure in the distance. Slowly approaching her, Batman realized that she was sitting waist-deep in the waters in lotus position without her mask with her back turned to Batman. He noticed how scarred her body was, and some of those scars looked really fresh. The collar was on her still, without a single scratch. She slightly turned her head only to acknowledge his presence, avoiding Batman seeing her face...despite the fact that he saw it in one of their encounters.

\- You passed. For now, - Terry said, slightly turning to the side, - You can come out, I won't peek, - he waited patiently for her to come up from the waters, carefully hearing her movement, - Captain told us everything about his survival, but you managed to leave no traces...even the trace of the attacker.

\- She is. Buried. Here, - Curare walked from Batman's back without a single sound, making him shiver for split second. She turned to face him, narrowing her eyes, - In a. Vaccum. Bag.

\- ...you killed her?

\- Merely. Stopped. Her heart. Failed, - she let out a sigh, turning her head to the side and carefully listening to something before she turned back to face Batman, - Accept me. I have no. Other choice.

\- I don't think that if they proclaim that you are now allied with me..., - started Terry, but Curare shook her head in negative motion.

\- I tried. To rebuild. The League. While you. Were gone, - Curare closed her eyes while she focused herself to speak more, - Hacked. The Device. Left it here. Visited places. Tried to form it. Anew, - she clenched her fists, looking straight at Batman, - Failed. Betrayed. Everyone knows. I am with. You. No reputation. No trust, - she relaxed her fists, keeping her eye contact with Terry, - You are. My chance. My choice. No lies here. Only. The truth.

\- So you were about to double-cross me when you failed, - Terry crossed his arm together, answering to Curare's stare with his own glare, - Because your friends were upset that you allied yourself with Batman while you had a death sentence from failing the League...the League you wiped out and basically formed something even worse, that threatens my city.

\- It was. Always there, - she sighed again slightly, shaking her head, - In the. Deepest. Shadows. Sprawling. Waiting. Gathering. Power and. Forces, - Curare stopped for a second, looking over her shoulder at the Batmobile for a moment, - There is. No choice. For me. Left. No place. To go, - she turned towards Batman, looking wearily at him, - No lies left. Only the truth.

\- So tell me the truth - do you hate me because you failed your mission when I intervened?

\- ...Myself. If I was. Stronger. And prepared. I would kill. You. And carried. My mission, - Curare's glare was a firm one, as she was trying to pierce Terry thorough with her eyes alone, - But. Underestimated. You. And Gordon.

\- And what about our last encounter?

\- ...Did not. Care. About dying. Wanted. To kill. You.

\- And what changed, Curare?

\- Peace, - Curare turned to face the tranquil lake, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, - Was. Surviving. Killing. Everyone...not thinking. About. Tomorrow...Rage. Misguided. Blinded me. Took...time. To realize. To remember. Myself, - she opened her eyes and glanced at Batman, - My enemies. Are yours. There is no. Turning back. For me...You can. Give me. A purpose. You can. Guide my hand. And this time. I will not. Fa...I will not. Fa..., - Curare couldn't make her device to say the sentence "I will not fail" without a pause, but she tried, over and over, until she made it work, - I will not fail.

\- And how am I supposed to trust you?

\- I trusted. You. Because. I do not see. GCPD. Or anyone. Else, - she waved her hand around slowly, - You. Could have. Take me. In. Right now...you did. Not.

\- ...yeah, you have a point, - said Terry after a pause, agreeing with Curare, - But that means that you have to be in Batcave, you will know our secrets.

\- It is. Your choice, - she slowly sat on her knees, bowing her head down.

It was hard. No, not just hard, it was impossible to make a right decision. On one hand, Curare and Batman had common enemies now, and she is a powerful assassin, hunted by whole world...but she was a part of the League, and God knows how many people she killed. There was an idea that struck Terry with how easy it could be to test her, but that test was a serious risk. Wayne took his risk with Inque, and now it was Terry's turn to expose himself. He slowly removed his mask and threw it to Curare, so she could see it. To his surprise, she didn't even flinched while staring at his mask.

\- Don't you want to know who I am?

\- I do. Not...If I wanted. To kill. You. I know ways. To draw you out, - she took a pause and picked his mask from the ground with her both hands, - And when. My blade. Would be inside. Your heart. I wouldn't care. Even more. About who. Is under. This mask.

\- If it's not about who under the mask...face me, Curare, - three last words were harder to say than Terry thought, as he gathered his courage for this act.

\- ...As you. Wish, - she slowly began to rise her head, so Terry could stop her, but he didn't. She rose her head up to face him, slightly widening her eyes from surprise, but she quickly composed herself, - We both. Know. It's not about. Who under. The mask, - she extended her arms to McGinnis, giving his mask back, - It's about. What this. Mask. Means. And. Represents.

\- And what this mask represents?

\- Hope. Courage. Honor. Justice...Vengeance. Fear, - she released her grip when Terry took his mask back, - ...Mine means death. Yours means. Much more.

\- I need your help, Curare, - Terry said, holding his mask in one hand and looking right into Curare's eyes, - I am no match for those assassins, and something is coming to Gotham, something I am not prepared for, - he took a pause, looking at her closely before realizing what he wanted to ask from her, - ...I need you to train me, and I need you to fight on one side with me, but on one condition, - Terry raised his forefinger, - You end your previous life completely - no more assassinations, no more trying to rebuild the League. If you are not fine with it, get your sword and strike me now, while you got your chance, because I want to deal with that now and never touch that subject again, - he said, trying to keep his composure, but his blood kept pumping from sheer adrenaline. He knew, that he risked everything right now for a longest shot in his life, but there was a chance that she could agree.

Curare fell silent for a long moment, thinking about what McGinnis just said to her. After minutes that felt like hours she closed her eyes and bowed her head down, while taking out her blade from her scabbard. Terry became tense, since Curare slowly looked at her sword, exchanging looks with Batman for a moment. But then...she suddenly bowed her head again and extended her sword with both hands as an offering to Terry. He slowly put his hand on the sword grip and took it from Curare, remembering how powerful this weapon is. But it wasn't right...something was missing, and Terry remembered the eastern ceremonies all of sudden. Kneeling in front of Curare, he extended her sword back with a respectful nod. Curare slowly took her blade back to scabbard in one fluid motion and bowed to him silently with the same nod.

* * *

Gordon came to Batcave next morning by Bruce's invitation. Of course she wasn't happy with Inque and now Curare being part of the team, but she had many other problems of her own to deal with that for now. Bruce performed autopsy on the body of the assassin Curare provided, while also working with data Inque managed to gather, and now we had some results to share:

\- What do we got? - asked Gordon, walking towards Batcomputer.

\- Those assassins have advanced biomechanical modifications, but not so advanced as you might expect, - Bruce pointed Gordon to vacuum bag, where was the body of the assassin, - Most work and resources went to their heart implant - it's small, almost undetectable. The assassins were triggering it's function by themselves, since there were no transmitters inside at least this one...cybernetic modifications and slight traces of splicing process, the latter is not visible but this particular individual has abnormalities in her muscle and bone structure, - while Wayne was talking, he showed Barbara everything on the main monitor in more detailed state, - Whoever makes those new breed of assassins, he wants to put their abilities even higher by sacrificing their humanity.

\- At least I know where to look, if we got our hands on at least one of those, - Gordon frowned, glancing at Curare for a moment, who was standing in the distance on her hands upside down with her legs spread aside. McGinnis was nearby, trying his best to do the same exercise, while Inque was casually lying nearby, reading some book, - ...I can't believe this is happening again.

\- What exactly?

\- Gathering soldiers to war, Bruce...though they are different from us, - she shook her head, looking at Wayne now, - Remember what was happening in Gotham when there were three, sometimes four of us?

\- My mind is not as sharp as before, but my memory is, - he turned in his chair towards the unlikely trio, - And you know, that we need all of them, if not more.

\- That is why I am afraid, Bruce, - she lowered her voice, as Wayne turned with a surprised expression back to Barbara, - Afraid that...whatever this is, we would not make it this time, even with new Batman and his new...allies, - she smiled wearily for a moment, - We are getting pressed, Bruce, there are talking that someone is digging under me to get me out of GCPD. It's not big, it's...unimaginable, to even think about replacing police with the PMC's. yet talking about it behind curtains, - Gordon sighed, shaking her head, - Sorry, I kept drifting when I am not trying to hold everything together.

\- You are not alone in it, Barbara...shall we continue? - Wayne pointed to the screen with his palm, and Gordon nodded.

\- It is clear that train was sabotaged, but what Inque managed to find is that someone wiped everything clean to erase any chemical traces - you forensics would not find anything...but there is a lead. One company that used this train to transport their own merchandise installed a set of hidden cameras inside some of their containers, and those containers were still there, recording everything. Inque managed to copy what they recorded without being seen, and I can give you...something interesting, - Bruce typed something on Batcomputer, bringing up the video he found.

It all started from the moment when train derailed - with a sudden muffled explosion sound. The train's section went on the left side, but all containers were secured tightly, nothing dropped or moved around inside the train car. The camera also showed time, and Gordon quickly took out her data-pad, making quick notes about what was happening. Nothing happened for a short while, but later some men went inside the section, wearing "New Dawn" armor and insignia, while there was someone yelling at them:

\- One hour! Everyone goes in except for us - take them out and call the cleaning crew to your location, they are nearby, - Gordon tried to see faces, but those men were wearing closed-off helmets, - Do not touch anything, do not spill even a drop of blood inside. Got it?

\- We got it, sir!

\- Close it from the inside, - Wayne paused the video and turned to Barbaba, nodding at time that camera showed.

\- I can connect the time with this record, but we do not know who exactly was giving orders to whom...of course it's still something to hit them with, - she said, glancing at Bruce for a moment, - ...but if they had a cleaning crew, probably they were using it to cover up murders on massive scale.

\- I doubt you will find bodies a this point, but this is something.

\- Other angles?

\- Same. I can give you all recordings to study.

\- Please do that...another place I know where to look for, - she put hands inside her coat, looking at paused recording closely while Bruce was making a copy of those videos, - Do you have a plan to get inside "New Dawn"?

\- As Bruce Wayne - yes. As Batman? Not so much - they must use a lot of money on security systems, but there is an advantage - they will not call the police and report about breaking and entering, their reputation and image will diminish.

\- I would rather ask you to break in after Sam's speech, not before, - Gordon glanced at Wayne again, - Only after that I can hit them with everything we got.

\- Noted. We still need support from public figures.

\- Not so many are still with us, Bruce, - said Gordon in lower voice, - And I don't think they will support us.

\- Maybe. But we have no choice but to get as many as we can.

\- Stubborn as always, - Gordon smiled a little, - I will keep you and Terry informed.

* * *

Days went strangely quite - League's assassins went underground, keeping low profile, and they stopped their hunt for other possible witnesses, at least for the time being. Gangs of Gotham returned to their usual activities, like robberies and general debauchery, and they would not be much of a trouble if new gangs wouldn't emerge from the underground. The splicers were also a trouble - though it was still illegal, one could easily splice himself and walk around mid-Gotham without any trouble...or causing trouble without any consequences.

Curare started to share her experience and knowledge with Terry from day one, showing her training routine and teaching combat techniques, of course starting with simple things and concepts. What was interesting, is that Wayne managed to start passing his own knowledge through Curare to Terry about combat, and while it could take years for Terry to learn all those techniques, it was a start to become a better Batman Gotham needs. Inque took notice of those techniques and also shared something with Curare, while keep studying with Max and Terry.

Of course it wasn't all perfect. While on the streets, Inque and Curare were lucky to not kill anyone yet, because in combat they were brutal and merciless, and if Inque learned her boundaries and tried to keep stick with them, Curare still had her killer instincts get in her way. She didn't changed her outfit, like Inque changed her form, and it only showed that she was not ready to even start, but Gotham needed more than one Batman right now. As Gordon warned, she started a campaign against Batman and his allies, up to a point where police aerocars tried to stop Batmobile from time to time, making it harder to do their duties. Maybe it was luck, though, because nothing major was happening in Gotham, if you do not count usual crimes.

And, for the fist time, Wayne invited Max to his manor, eventually showing her the Batcave:

\- Schway..., - that were the first words that came out from her, when she saw it all - trophies, computers, Batmobile, science stations, workbenches, training areas that trio of Curare, Inque and Terry made. Of course, there were also the bats, which made Max's spine shiver, - ...and creepy. But mostly schway, even this old oversized duster, - she nodded to Batcomputer.

\- Don't judge things by it's interior - that "old duster" has many surprises, - Wayne slowly walked towards the Batcomputer with Max following behind him, looking at everything around her with genuine curiosity, - I want you to assist me and others on the day when DA will have his speech for public, from here, - he pointed to a newly acquired seat that was near his own, - That would require us...a training.

\- In what form?

\- Many forms. This is hard job, and if you can handle it...you would be a great asset to Batman, - Wayne glanced at Max, sitting in his chair, - But you need a callsign.

\- Terry already calls me "Alfred", - said Max, sitting in her chair down and setting up her rig.

\- I know, - Wayne grinned at her, while crossing his palms together, - But we will call you...Oracle. Sounds fitting for what you signed up to.

\- And when I managed to sign anything? - she asked, raising her eyebrows.

\- When you said "Yes" on the phone. Let's connect your laptop to system first and start your training.

* * *

The importance of Sam Young's speech only increased when "New Dawn" got it first contract to keep the peace in lower Gotham area. Barbara was more than just pissed off, she was ready to destroy "New Dawn" by herself, but she also knew that they had to stick with a plan. For purpose of safety, Gordon changed DA's location every day by herself, trusting no one in her department:

\- There are some clean people, I will put them as his personal security without prior warning, - she was standing nearby, looking at the monitor of Batcomputer while Wayne was working on something, - But at least I can confirm that someone is tracking Sam around the Gotham.

\- They will try to kill him before he could start his speech - either on the road to press conference, or right on it, - said Wayne, rubbing his nose-bridge for a moment, - There is a chance they will try to attempt to kill him later if other options failed.

\- How do you know that?

\- I had an insight, - Wayne nodded to Curare, - And that's what I would do, if I was an assassin.

\- Glad you are not one...let kids rest before the storm, Bruce. Gotham will survive a day or two without Batman and his...whatever you can call it, - she sighed, glancing at sparring session between Curare and Terry with Ace and Inque watching them, while Max was nearby, training to gather and compile information, - You trust them?

\- I don't even trust myself, Barbara, - said Wayne, slowly rising from his chair and taking his cane to face the group, placing his palms on the cane, - Inque driven by her desire to change and protect her daughter, it's genuine, and she proves it every night...Curare's motivation is desperate attempt to survive by pledging herself to her former enemy, that gave her a purpose to keep fighting. Both of them are extremely dangerous, but have knowledge in variety of fields and abilities for Terry to pick up, - he glanced at Barbara for a moment, - They are nothing like us, but...new times, new Batman...new family, if this works out as I planned. If it will not work out..., - Bruce turned to Barbara, lowering his voice.

\- I will do what is necessary, - nodded Barbara to him.

\- I know you will.

* * *

Two days before the operation Bruce ordered everyone to rest and gather their strength, but he kept working with Max closely to prepare her. Curare still trained herself, but in much more sparing regime and making her versions of kunai that resembled Wayne's batarangs, while keeping their sharpness. With all that, Inque suddenly asked Terry for a meeting...without telling a place, but rather directing him towards it. Placing his bike on the parking lot after circling around the city for thirty minutes, Terry sighed and registered his bike on a lot before continuing forward:

\- This all sounds like a trap, Inque.

\- Of course it's a trap, - she was talking with him on radiolink, - But you have to find out what kind of.

\- Does it include going inside dark alley?

\- Not quite.

The place she led him to was a middle ground theme club, that had rather big crowd waiting to enter. A lot of people were wearing interesting suits or full body tatoos, there were even some splicers, but some were dressed casually. The place was called "Chillnight", and it's bright light-blue neon sign was seen from a large distances.

\- OK, I got here. Looks schway from the outside.

\- Get to VIP entrance, introduce yourself and ask for directions.

\- I hope you know what you are doing, - Terry waited for red sign to cross the road, coming right to large door with "VIP" sign on it. Two bulky looking guards took a quick look at Terry without any hostile intentions as he approached them, - Terry McGinnis.

\- Wait a minute, sir, checking data-base, - one of the guards was inside special booth with the terminal. After some seconds he nodded and gave Terry small armband with holographic projector, - Take this armband and please wear it all the time you are inside the club. When you are leaving, you must return the band back.

\- What's it for? - asked Terry, placing armband on his wrist.

\- It is used for access to VIP zones inside the club, sir...Is it your first time in "Chillnight"?

\- Yeah, I probably need some directions, since I don't even know where my reservation.

\- The guards on the other side will help you to save your time. Welcome to the "Chillnight" and enjoy your time.

When the doors opened, Terry walked past detector and asked a guard to help find the VIP zone. The "Chillnight" was a weird place, even by Terry's standards, but there was something to it - dimmed lights, interesting music, dressed up people, dancers inside slowly lifting cages...the VIP zone was on the upper levels, with a view on main floor and access to personal bar, but Inque went further - she bought a whole lounge for yourself. When Terry entered the lounge, she was there - sitting in the couch in her human form and looking at dance floor underneath with a strange expression on her face. The music also changed, being a more upbeat and active tune.

\- Had no idea you would go to such places, - said Terry, closing the door behind him.

\- Me neither, - she turned to Terry with a familiar seductive smile, moving a bit on the couch to give Terry some space. When Terry sat on the couch with her, she continued, turning to dance floor, - It was hard to find a right place, but this is the one.

\- And you are blending in perfectly, - Terry took a look at the dancefloor and grinned, - Some of those people have costumes to make my enemies a run for their money.

\- That was the idea, and I glad it worked, - she sighed, closing her eyes and listening to the music, - ...I never thought I needed that - just sitting here, listening, watching, talking...you have that a lot, do you?

\- When job allows, because I have a reputation to sleep even when music is louder than nuclear explosion, - Terry leaned back in the couch, still watching the dance floor, - The job...takes a lot, but that's what I do.

\- I know, - she glanced at Terry for a second, studying him thoughtfully, - You can talk freely here. I actually bought this place.

\- You what? - Terry turned to Inque, raising his eyebrows.

\- You know who you are talking to? - she grinned, turning to him, - I picked some tricks from old man, and he tried to trace my money and this club to me...he couldn't. So this is a first place I bought to wash my money and make some legal business, but that's not as interesting as a person, who will be administrator, - she nodded her head to dance floor, where Terry tried to spot whoever Inque meant...but he noticed it soon enough.

\- Deanna? I thought she was in hospital? - Terry couldn't believe his eyes, but Inque's daughter was there, working at the bar as assistant and cashier.

\- We never stopped to look into her condition, and we found a solution to get her out of the bed, - Inque was also looking at her daughter with a wearily expression on her face, - She is weak still, and she needs constant injections to keep her alive, along with the examinations at private hospital, but for the time being I decided to give her a job, - Inque leaned into couch, placing her hands on it, - She will be administrator here one day, and not because I want her to become one, but because she liked this place from the moment she entered it, - she suddenly smiled, and that smile was a genuine, warm one, - She liked the music, the atmosphere, the people...and I said to her that this place will be hers if she makes it all the way to the top. I, frankly, cheated by not letting her start from the very bottom as janitor, but she works sometimes as one when she fails at tasks, - her smile slowly vanished as she continued, - She can't work for long, though, and she has problems with her brain functions, but it's treatable...even if it takes time, - Inque now glanced at Terry, studying him closely and turning on the couch to face him, - All of this is because of you and your old man, but mostly because you gave a flying crap about me and Deanna.

\- It would be nothing is you weren't determined to change.

\- I know, - she turned back to face the dance floor underneath, smiling seductively again, - But not every part of me will change, I like some parts of myself...and if you don't mind, I will get back to them.

\- You leading the conversation right now, your rules...but I can agree, that this place is...

\- You say "schway" one more time and I am going to yell down that you are B-man, - she interrupted Terry with another smile on her face.

\- ...schway, - Terry smiled slyly, nodding to dance floor, - Go on.

\- It's too loud, they won't hear me, - she chuckled a little before continuing, - What I was going to ask you at your apartment...I wanted to make a meeting like this, in a place just like this, and have a normal talk, - she lowered her voice, closing her eyes for a second, - Because that is something I was missing. One treats me as a sexualized idol, another treats me as a weapon and means of profit, another treats like..., - she cut herself, opening her eyes and looking straight at Terry, - Yet you see me as a person...as a human. So, if you agree, I want to ask you to stay around and talk to me.

\- Aren't we already talking about how this place is schway?

\- Alright, that's it, you are officially crossed out from the VIP list, - she let out a short laugh, - ...do you like the music? Because I can order to change it.

\- It's not like you are in a mood to dance to it...oh, - when Terry saw Inque's face, he knew what mistake he made, - ...crap.

\- Honestly, I have a problem with people trying to invade my personal space or even touch me...but maybe it's right time to let it go just for tonight, - she picked a data-pad from the table, giving it to Terry, - You can play any song to hear what it sounds like before changing. Take your time.

\- I walked right into it, - Terry sighed, going through the tracklist and listening to variety of songs in the library.

\- Not exactly a fast learner, are you? - Inque grinned again when she saw Terry's face from her catch-phrase.

\- ...I guess that will do, - Terry picked one track and placed the data-pad on the table, leaning back into the couch when he suddenly realized, - ...huh.

\- Huh?

\- It was at least months when I last visited any club to get my head out of the job..., - he said, looking down at the dance floor. He remembered how he visited such places with Dana, how he slept in clubs after long sleepless night...she wasn't calling or writing anything, and what made it worse is the fact that he wasn't thinking about her too much. Maybe he...

\- Hey, - Inque leaned in, looking at him closely, - Are you alright?

\- Y-yeah, just had some thoughts, - Terry smiled wearily, - Nothing major.

\- Liar, - she chuckled and shook her head, - But I won't push you...hear that?

\- Yeah, this is the song I picked, - Terry rose up from the couch, looking at Inque for a moment before extending his hand to her. After some hesitation, she slowly took his hand and rose up from the couch. Inque hardened herself to make her less...slimy and to be able to feel more. To her surprise, Terry didn't flinched or showed discomfort, but he was rather dense. She knew, why.

\- ...I think I can do it...this way, - she slowly took his arm and placed it on her waist. It was hard for her, her instincts were screaming to push him away, but suddenly to her surprise she found herself slowly moving to the rhythm with McGinnis.

\- Is everything fine? If you are not...

\- It's perfect, - she cut him with her seductive smile and getting her composure back, - Let's do it.

Everyone were slowly dancing in the area underneath to this tune with slow gentle voice on the background, and both of them had a whole lounge just for two of them - for two former enemies, unlikely allies, creatures of the night. The dimmed blue lights made it even better, creating the desired effect...but that what made Terry think about what he was doing, and during one part of the song Terry quietly asked, leading the dance:

\- When we started dating?

\- Probably right now, who knows...or you want to end it because you are intimidated by grown up woman? - she slowly changed her stance, placing Terry's hands on her waist and her own hands on his shoulders, keeping same seductive smile on her face.

\- Wish I had the right answer for this one...

\- Nothing will happen tonight, - she leaned to him, now whispering onto his ear, - But next time you will ask me about a date if you want to continue...for now let's keep quite and make this night a good memory. I have a severe lack of them.

* * *

 **Music for THAT scene - Timecop1983 - Tonight. It fits quite good. Finding a futuristic-esque music for slow dance was a challenge.**

 **I realised that sometimes I want to talk about something relevant to fic and it would be spoiler-ish. Which is not great. But I think that I will be able to close first ark with chapter 6. Maybe.**

 **See you in the next chapter.**


	6. Blood On My Hands (Arc 1 End)

**I decided to move author's notes to the end, because...spoilers.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

Wayne and Gordon discussed the plan for a long time between them, analyzed possible tactics, and Curare's expertise and thinking as assassin came into play too, improving the plan significantly. First of all, Gordon put some trusted people in undercover to protect families of those officers that will be on press conference - Curare pointed that those families could be used as a leverage, since New League has lots of connections and resources. Second point was made by Wayne - he decided to send Inque inside the building the night the conference will be held to seek out possible explosives and lay low insie it to be a back up. When studying building schematics, Curare pointed out that it had too many entry points for possible assassins and too many windows to make sniper's work easy. Another point was about rooftops and sewer access, but Gordon could only send so many men to cover the main floor and perimeter, maybe a rooftop. After a very intense discussion everyone agreed to send Curare to watch over the building from one vantage point, and in case of attack she will cover backyard of the building, which had sewer access large platform for landing craft. Gordon could send some men there too, but it would not be enough still.

But the main question was about Batman:

\- We have to make sure that everyone bought our little lie, - Inque and Curare already left the cave, using Inque's newly acquired black bike. Curare even changed her outfit, painting it in black and used the upgrades Wayne provided for her outfit to get at least some protection while maintaining her agility, and now only Terry, Barbara and Wayne with Max were inside the cave, - We will start moving from here, we have to cross only five hundred meters, - Gordon pointed at the map on Batcomputer, - Approximately at this mark you should appear, and I will send two aerocars to chase you off.

\- You have to drop down from Batmobile at this point, - now Wayne started to explain, - While descending. You will have short window to do it, and you have to travel to location without being noticed, while maintaining proximity to convoy.

\- Shouldn't be difficult...

\- I ordered to sweep area with UV's, - retorted Gordon, glancing at Terry with a slight grin.

\- ...now it's difficult.

\- When you are inside, start scanning everything and everyone inside the building, - continued Wayne, - And keep an eye on suspicious activity...now about the gear, Curare and Inque had their briefing, now it's your turn.

\- I will return to Sam, he is under protection for now, - said Gordon, going to exit of the Batcave, - Guess we have that sleepless night today.

\- You forgot our techniques? - asked Wayne without looking at Barbara.

\- I didn't, I am just too worried to use it.

Wayne upgraded wrist-blades, so they could be used offensively as projectiles, but that means Terry would lose the ability to block knives, swords and other close combat weapons. New system of spikes and magnets on feet and palms allowed Terry to stick and hold onto some types of surfaces, and upgraded wrist-launcher allowed Terry to shoot capsules instead of batarangs if loaded. Of course, those updates were small, but Bruce promised Terry to show him something interesting when he is done with it. Soon, Terry left the Batcave on the sunrise after short sleep session:

\- Everyone, roll call and status report, - said Wayne on the radiolink.

\- Batman, on the way to my first position, - Terry switched Batmobile to silent running mode and activated optical camo, carefully flying over Gotham.

\- Inque here. I found several explosive devices that were supposed to make way from sewers to ground floor. Got rid of all of them, no other encounters inside the building. Took a very good position inside it and placed a camera in sewers.

\- Curare. Watching. Spotted spies. In civilian. They are. Taking notice. Of surroundings...not from League. Amateurs.

\- ...should I sound off too? - asked Max on radiolink shyly.

\- Next time do that, - said Wayne to her in such tone that Max blushed from shame, - Oracle, keep checking on that camera Inque placed. Curare, how many spies you spotted?

\- Six. They surrounded. The building. From multiple. Directions...Taking pictures. Put some video transmitters. Hid them, - she was able to see it all since Bruce equipped both Inque and Curare with gadgets for today's operation.

\- They will attack DA on the conference, - said Terry, carefully placing Batmobile on a rooftops of parking lot, - But why? Would'nt it be better to attack him before?

\- They want to make the attack public - Sam Young gathered a lot of media and political figures for his speech. Oracle?

\- Uhm...OK, so first of all - a lot of supporters of "New Dawn" will come to this conference, and judging by what I found, there will be an open debate with their major supporter - senator Jasper Cald, - Max was quick to dig around, and Bruce's advices helped her to optimize her process of gathering and sorting the information, - ...now that's interesting. "New Dawn's" CEO Alexander Gorky with members of the board will also attend to conference.

\- If something happens and GCPD will fail, it will be shown to public...which both senator and CEO will use to their advantage. We have to prevent that from happening, - continued Wayne, - Oracle, dig on Gorky, I will get everything on senator.

\- On it.

\- Jasper Cald is a typical politician - whoever pays him, he talks what they tell him to talk, but he has the charisma and he is very dedicated to his "work", - Wayne, of course, was way ahead of Max, already gathering information, - Several corruption scandals, but managed to get out of them...journalists caught him on lies and changing his opinions too fast on the same subject, nothing came out of it too...For now, we have nothing to press him with, but should you encounter him, keep pressing and ignore his attempts to change subject. Oracle?

\- One second, damned "ice"...Uhm...Alexander Gorky, ex-military, served in Russian army for fifteen years, was promoted to captain, several medals from presidents...later he disappeared, some sources claim he became a "black ops", appeared just three years ago and formed his own "PMC", which was a foundation of "New Dawn"...that guy is serious, T...Batman, - Max was able to correct herself just in time, - Hand-to-hand combat, vast military experience with weapons, explosives, piloted aircraft and exoskeletons...but he is old and suffered some serious injuries.

\- Beware the old man in a field where men die young, - retorted Bruce, glancing at Max for a second. That second was enough to make her shiver, - We will keep digging into them and other invited guests. Focus on the tasks.

* * *

Now it was the most annoying part of the job - waiting, and if Inque and Curare could wait in peace, Terry was hiding from GCPD aerocars, trying to stay undetected and avoid cameras. The convoy started to move at twelve in the morning, and it was moving on the streets with a support of aerocars and ground vehicles. The convoy was moving towards it's destination point for some time, when Terry looked at navcomputer - it was about time to pull of this trick. Taking a shortcut and decloaking the Batmobile, Terry make his appereance visible to the police aerocars, who quickly turned towards him, shouting:

\- Batman, turn down your engines and land, you have thirty seconds to comply.

\- Boss, you ready? - asked Batman, turning Batmobile towards some buildings and looking back to see two aerocars already chasing him. Terry turned a bit around and started to descend between two buildings.

\- Always, prepare drop in...three, two, one, drop.

The hatch opened, and Batman allowed gravity to take him down, activating optical camo and opening his wings to glide. The Batmobile continued to descend down while police aerocars tried to stop it, following it to lower levels. Of course this won't last long - they will chase it for about thirty seconds, and Terry had to use that time to get away as fast as he can. Slowly gliding across the large open space and maneuvering around, Terry used the wind flow that was generated by air traffic to keep himself gliding. Grabbing the truck's bumper, Terry used it to escape the possible search zone:

\- They bought it?

\- They did, but aerocars are returning to sweep the area.

\- I got away, - Terry released the bumper and used the momentum to launch himself, gliding beside the road, - Got a visual on convoy, UV's are sweeping rooftops and roads.

\- Remember the legend?

\- Of course. It's not that far from the truth, though..., - Terry carefully glided onto the rooftop and took cover behind large air vent, when UV started to sweep the area, - ...wish they were always that serious.

\- Gordon pulled a lot resources, Batman. The police can't make use of those resources everyday...plus the paperwork and clashes with bureaucrats, - said Wayne with a clear disgust to the latter.

\- Yeah, I got the general idea on briefings before shipment raid, - Terry rolled to another cover and jumped down, opening his wings to glide towards another position, - Got eyes on the building. Awfully lot of people here.

\- Spies. Still there, - suddenly said Curare's device on the radiolink, - Changed clothes. Pretending. To be. Janitors...sending pictures.

\- I got it, - said Max on the radiolink, receiving Curare's pictures, - ...alright, that vehicle was clearly stolen just tonight, judging by police report from that company, but they changed vehicle's ID...checking face's...some of those criminals were paroled this year, but some are wanted still.

\- Inform Gordon, - said Wayne to Max, - Batman, can you get inside the building?

\- Will try to, - Terry carefully glided towards the building, avoiding UV's, and landed on the side of the building. Opening security lock on a window and disabling alarm, Terry got inside, slowly walking to the ground floor, - I am in.

\- Good. Because it's about to start.

Terry silently avoided Gordon's guards inside the building and reach the ground floor, where the conference hall was, filled with reporters and powerful figures. Sam Young, Gotham's DA, already arrived with commissioner Gordon, slowly walking towards the hall. And while reporters were streaming the conference and taking pictures, Terry stood up with his back against the wall and jumped along it, fixing his hands first and his feet second to it. He haven't noticed Inque for some time, but suddenly she said:

\- In front of you.

\- ...a painting? - Terry could'nt believe his eyes, but Inque was pretending to be some sort of painting, which was thematically correct with other art pieces. She used her main colors to from some strange and organic painting, which Terry couldn't even try to describe because of sheer complexity.

\- It's better than be a sculpture, but I am not so sure what am I - a color field or lyrical composition?...take a picture of me and we will discuss this later, because it's starting.

San Young started the press conference with some short talk with various journalists, just to "have an appetizer" for the main event - his speech, and Terry had some time to check on guests and transfer images to Max. Slowly, it all came down to the topic at hand - crime in Gotham, GCPD and PMC's. But while DA was about to get to it, Wayne started to talk on radiolink:

\- Gordon arrested those who were spotted by Curare, they were monitoring the area with camera's and used the equipment inside the van to transmit it elsewhere.

\- ...spotted vehicles, - suddenly said Curare, - Approaching cordon...breached, - Terry looked outside to see that police aerocars were losing control for some reason, while some trucks rammed through the cordon, approaching building very fast, - Going to. Backyard...another vehicle. Truck.

\- Cover the backyard, - said Terry, seeing that Gordon already stood up and started evacuation of conference hall further inside the building, seeing truck coming right into building on ramming speed.

When the truck hit the building, nearly everyone in the hall let out a short scream, and this only got verse when people were coming out from the back of the truck. The GCPD already took positions to cover the main hall when thugs walked inside. Terry never saw this gang before - they had armored suites and those cursed weapons from train-wreck, but what made them distinctive was the large "U" on their chests and backs. And truck loaded a bunch of them, clearly rivaling GCPD and taking advantage of the situation with civilians being not still evacuated further inside. Thugs spread out from both sides of the building, keeping distance from GCPD, and suddenly a voice started to come out from the truck's loudspeakers. It was clearly a male voice, but it sounded computer generated:

\- I hoped that our entrance would be less dramatic, but first pancake is a lumpy...now, let's start talking. Right now my men are closing this building off from all sides, even the sewers. Your GCPD forces have failed you, and even your "New Dawn" wouldn't change the outcome. I suggest to all of you to drop your weapons and...

\- Backyard clear. GCPD. Holding it, - said Curare on the radiolink, - Someone. Got inside. Pursuing.

\- Terry! - suddenly yelled Max on the radiolink, - One of the reporters doesn't streaming this conference, while others keep streaming! It's the one from "GCB"!

\- I don't think it's something...oh, - Terry quickly found the reporter with "GCB" shirt, who was standing right behind the DA, slowly turning his camera towards his head. Before he acted, Batman managed only to say, - Inque, front!

He threw a batarang towards the reporter and threw flashbang capsule to thugs. Batarang hit the camera hard and laser shot passed DA without harming him, but it hit a police officer right in the neck. With a flashbang detonated, everyone were confused for some time, that allowed Inque to throw every single thug to outside with an immense force. Terry dropped down on fake reporter before he could point his weaponized camera at DA again, quickly delivering a blow right into his nosebridge to knock him out. Suddenly Terry saw Barbara in front of him, pointing her pistol to someone behind Terry and pulling the trigger, killing yet another fake guest who was trying to shot Sam Young. The panic was insane, but some reporters kept streaming, taking cover in the corners of conference hall.

\- Gordon! - Terry got up, covering DA and searching for other possible threats while he helped him to reach Barbara, - Curare said someone got inside, she is after him, but backyard is clear.

\- I know, - she said, taking cover from the fire that was coming inside the building from time to time - Inque was outside, helping GCPD to take down thugs, and judging by screams and people flying around, she got that. - Someone tried to take some officer's families hostage, no single one was taken...you have to stall them here, - she pointed towards the ceiling that was being cut by laser, - I will evacuate Sam.

\- Got it. Get your people outside.

\- First unit, outside! Move it!

When officers left the building, Terry was left alone to face his new enemy that dropped from the ceiling - makeshift exoskeleton, simple one, but deadly still. It was towering Terry by one head, but the guy who piloted it quickly engaged in combat, pointing his gun to Batman and releasing a stream of bullets. Terry was quick and agile while exoskeleton was a bulky and slow to turn. Using this advantage, he tried to roll to the side and close distance to do...something, but exoskeleton suddenly smashed him into the chest with another hand, sending Terry right into the wall with a short grunt. As thug pointed his gun to Batman, he suddenly was hit by a truck's bumper that Inque threw in the meantime of fighting with thugs outside of the building. Bumper hit thug right into his helmet, making him dizzy and leaning to the right side, spraying projectiles that missed Batman completely. Coming back to his senses, Terry took out a batarang with an electrical discharge and made several quick flips forward to see the exposed back of the exoskeleton. He threw the batarang right into what looked like battery, and it worked - the exoskeleton powered down and now the thug was trapped inside it for a long time. But Terry heard the shooting upstairs - that meant that other thugs managed to land of the roof and were fighting with GCPD. He quickly flew inside the hole of the ceiling and ran towards the shooting, preparing flashbang batarang.

Meanwhile Gordon and Sam Young, along with other officers, were going through the corridor towards the backyard, when suddenly they were cut off by suppression fire. Gordon managed to take cover, but she took three shots while trying to evade fire. She grunted, slipping against the wall with pistol ready, trying to carefully look behind the corner to see a black figure silently approaching a group of thugs from behind. In just mere seconds, a flashbang capsule detonated under that group, and soon the whole group was lying on the floor, screaming from pain because of broken bones - that figure broke knees and wrists for each thug, and when it was done, the figure looked at Gordon with a familiar yellow eyes. Taking out a sharp batarang, Curare threw it in Gordon's direction only for batarang to pass Gordon by and hit the thug that appeared in the other end of the corridor right to his knee. Curare ran past Gordon and rolled towards the thug, grabbing his neck with her legs and throwing him to the floor, strangling him for enough time to render him unconscious. After that Curare walked towards Gordon and helped her to get up, nodding towards the exit to backyard.

Inque was on a rampage. The thugs got the electrical weapons to fight with her, and that added some challenge to situation, especially considering friendly fire from GCPD - she was really fast, and sometimes cops hit her, but that wasn't on purpose...still, irritating and painful. To fight with this new threat, she had to be fast and brutal, while sticking to "no kill" motto, and it was really hard. Luckily, Inque got practice from previous encounters, but suddenly tables turned when last remained thug managed to grab one cop as his hostage, pointing pistol at officer's neck and taking steps backwards to aerocar:

\- Alright, freak, don't freaking move, or this one gets the slug!

\- Do it, - Inque suddenly said, shocking everyone around her.

\- ...what?! You want him dead, huh?!

\- You are pointing at his neck, idiot, he is still got his helmet on, - Inque slowly reformed herself from massive conglomerate to her "Bat" form, taking slow steps towards the thug, - You can shoot right through his neck, and when you pull the trigger...I will close the distance and break you in pieces, - she narrowed her eyes to "bat-glare" effect, - And when I am done - it won't be long - I will keep this cop alive before ambulance arrives...to change your pistol position to threaten his life, you need to take at least two seconds, and I need just one. So...do me a favor and shoot him or try to change pistol's position, I want to break more things.

\- ...f-fine! - thug suddenly dropped his weapons and raised his hands into the air, releasing the officer - I surrender, just don't let that freak~ hmph! - he muffled in terror as Inque suddenly extended her arm, grabbing him by his mouth and neck with her tentacle arm, and pressed thugs back against the aerocar.

\- Wise choice. But call me freak again - and you are not going to walk ever again, - she quickly released him, letting officers arrest the last remaining thug. She heard footsteps approaching her from behind and sighed, - If you want to arrest me too...

\- Thanks, - she heard suddenly something that she was not expecting. Inque turned to face the one captive officer she just saved, and he looked familiar to her. Other cops nodded to her, - You saved many lives today.

\- ...didn't we met before?

\- Yeah, - the cop smiled sarcastically, - You took my as a hostage when you broke out from cryo.

\- ...oh, - she widened her eyes, remembering that episode of her life, - ...and I used you to...you know what, I think I call it even, you are fine with that?

\- It's not like we can do anything about you anyway...but I agree, now it's even.

\- So...what does Batman does at this point?

\- He usually disappears when everyone is distracted, - said one of the cops, while others supported him with a short laugh.

\- ...also, Batman? - she turned towards the building, - How's inside?

\- Fine, just took down the last one, - answered Terry, - Curare helped on her side, Gordon and DA are evacuated.

\- I think we are done here. Have fun with paperwork, - Inque jokingly saluted to cops and dropped from the platfrom, forming a winged cape out of her mass to glide through the city.

* * *

The press conference moved to GCPD HQ, and was held this very evening. There were lesser guests and reporters, but major figures there. Sam Young finished his speech and now it was time to debate:

\- We shouldn't be afraid of crime lords attacking us, we should be afraid of allowing third-party forces to wage war for us, - that was one of the DA'a allies from the Senate, senator George Gorvan, - GCPD today demonstrated their competence - no, zero civilian casualties and surprisingly not so many wounded.

\- This "competence" was provided by vigilantes that appeared out of nowhere, - it was senator Jasper Cald, who was grinning all the time after Sam's speech, - And if not them, the GCPD would not be able to protect us.

\- The so called vigilantes were part of GCPD plan to provide an edge in today's operation, - Gordon took her word now, staring at impudent and smug face that Cald had, - They appeared because of the plan we developed to protect everyone, and it worked.

\- So you just confirmed that you are working with Batman and his crazy sidekicks?

\- That is not the po...

\- It is the point! The police is working with vigilantes because of the sheer corruption of your, commissioner, department! - Cald pointed his finger at Barbara in a threatening way, - And if you can't do anything to fix this and resort to use vigilantes, it is because you can't control the situation! That is the reason we need PMC's and private security forces in general, formed out of professionals, to keep piece in our time! They have no connections to criminal world, they can push back, and they will not call some costume errand boys to help them!

\- That is the reason why GCPD budget is cutting off and why there is an aggressive campaign to turn my men join "New Dawn"? - asked Gordon as calm as she could.

\- You cut was a consequence of this failed raid, commissioner, it was the first warning for you to start! - Cald smashed his fist on the table several times, - Work! Hard!...as for your men, I can understand their wish to flee from sinking ship if you can't hold it together...or even a part of a problem.

\- I am sorry, - suddenly came a voice from outside of the camera, - But I want to have a word.

\- That's talking table only for selected one's, but I'll just going to pretend I care, - Cald turned to a woman with a smug face, - Please, introduce yourself.

\- Janet Van Dorn, former Gotham DA.

The whole press conference went crazy, and the smug smile from Cald face quickly disappeared. Van Dorn slowly walked towards the table - old, gray-haired, but with that cold and determined look in her eyes that she had in her prime days. Gordon quickly found her a chair with a microphone, helping Van Dorn to sit near table. Janet nodded to Barbara and shook hands with Sam Young.

\- And what former Gotham DA can tell us about the current situation? - Cald recomposed himself and attacked her right away, - Because you were not...

\- Shut up, - she frowned and looked at him with a cold glare, - I can interrupt too, and right now, senator, you will listen, because you said enough, - she took some seconds to concentrate on her thoughts, closing her eyes for a moment, - Once I was a Gotham DA, and I made a mistake - I was not able to see the importance of original Batman's work, I even thought that he created the plague of so-called supervillains, when in reality he was created by them...and even not by them directly, but from evil that we allowed to grow.

\- That's what I was talking abo...

\- And this evil, - Van Dorn interrupted senator again, - Was done by men. New Batman was born in same way - we allowed evil to grow to the point where it cripples those people into fighting for us against what we nurtured by our apathy, corruption and greed, - Van Dorn took a pause, asking Sam Young for his glass of water, and soon enough she continued, - After events of Arkham Asylum, both me and Batman made a promise that we will make Gotham a place, where Batman will not be needed anymore...and we failed. I failed, - she closed her eyes, and took off her glasses, trying to hold her emotions, - We were never able to do this, and even worse, we allowed another Batman to be born, - she let out a deep sigh, opening her eyes and looking straight at senator Cald, - More to it, the forces that helped Batman in his crusade to protect people of Gotham are now crippled, crippled because you are so God damn stupid and corrupt, that you are pushing that PMC initiative as something that will change the situation.

\- Careful there, Van Dorn, I can take this as an insult, - Cald said, narrowing his eyes at her.

\- Do it, sue me for being honest, but the truth will not be buried under lies and misconception, - she answered even more firmly to him, - Because the truth is simple - as much as Batman helped us, we also were helping him. James Gordon was a good man who tried to do his best, and he saved lots of lives...and you are now sitting here, in your hundred thousand credits suit, talking about using the PMC to protect the city?

\- They will perform be...

\- They will not, - Van Dorn interrupted him again, - Those PMC's you want to make Gotham's protectors are not protectors - they are hired guns, and will operate as well as you pay them...and you know what? You will pay them a lot, - Van Dorn took out a data-pad and small projector device, connecting one to another and showing the hologram of the "New Dawn" price-list, - It's all there, their official page in the web. You will drain the budget to hire less men and women to protect this city by paying them at least - at least, I repeat - ten times more, - she narrowed her eyes, looking at senator Cald firmly, - While you are the one who presses to cut the GCPD budget. For such money, you could hire more people, get them advanced gear, training specialists, but you are fixated on this PMC, and only this one...which make me think you have a personal interest.

\- Gordon made GCPD into a nest of corruption, that's why we need outside force to deal with everything she allowed to grow! - Cald even rose up in his chair, raising his voice at Van Dorn, - And this PMC has the best specialists and equipment world can provide!

\- And why this never was the issue, say, six months ago?...year ago?...twenty, forty years ago? - she retorted back, - You think the problem is that Gordon allowed the corruption in her department? No, senator, the problem is that you, and other people before you, are making everything in your power to make this fight against the corruption as hard as possible. James Gordon fought for his department, I fought for mine, and our hands were tied by men and women of your power and position, and still we managed to do something, - she took a pause, glaring with a cold fury in her eyes at Cald, - You do not want to fight the corruption, otherwise you would offer Gordon help she needed. You do not want to keep Gotham safe, because you only want to find a reason to press on Gordon and cut the police budget, while promoting an outside mercenaries with questionable history and funding, because I couldn't find their legit sources of income, - she took a pause, but Cald, surprisingly, had nothing to say back, - That is why Gotham needs Batman, you all know what happened when original Batman retired, and we feel the results of his retirement even to this day...that's why we need new Batman, but he can fight only so far if GCPD will not help him...but even GCPD will not be able to help if we will not change the system and laws, because they stopped working back when I was a DA, and I doubt this is working now, - Van Dorn smiled predatory to Cald, because she knew how to finish it, - If you really wanted to help Gotham, you would press laws that would allow us to turn criminals into everyday civilians, to allow us to fight back, to press the corruption not just from the bottom, but from the upper levels too. All you do is a small talk, a juggling of words to your favor without taking serious steps to treat the disease, not the symptom.

\- ...this meeting is over, - Cald stood up, and reporters, that were silently observing and streaming this meeting, suddenly remembered how to breathe and how to attack, trying to get answers for their questions, - No commentary.

\- Senator Cald, - Van Dorn stood up, and reporters quickly silenced each other, turning camera's to former DA, - I have a blood on my hands. Every citizen that died, every child that lost their parent, every family that buried their offspring, every person I failed - I can feel them still, and I know that they want it to finally end. You don't want this to end, and you have even more blood on your hands because you do not care, you do not act...Go on, senator, be useless somewhere else.

* * *

\- ...wow, - that's the only thing Terry could say when streaming ended, - Just...wow.

\- She just steamrolled him, the Senate and everything, - Inque was lying on the carpet, watching closely the stream on TV along with Ace.

\- She gained. New enemies, - Curare was sitting near Inque in lotus pose with her eyes closed and with a cup of hot tea on her head. Max was sitting nearby with an opened laptop, constantly tracking news on several sites.

\- But we won...at least this one, - sighed Terry, trying not to disturb his chest area that was bandaged...as his other body parts, since last fight was a fierce one.

\- Winning a first battle will not guarantee winning this war...but it's a start, - said Wayne, sipping tea casually, - A good start.

\- You never mentioned her, - said Terry, looking at Wayne.

\- Van Dorn was believing in system, as Barbara tries to believe now, - Wayne looked at Terry back, - But as time went on, we never saw end of it. She started to see, what was really wrong, and her idealism and beliefs slowly...eroded, culminating in her retirement.

\- Just like you, - Terry remarked.

\- ...in a way, - Bruce nodded after some consideration, - I kept tracking her, since she was incorruptible and strong willed person, but as she retired, I let her have some peace in her life she deserved, - Wayne sighed, sipping his tea again, - I asked her to fight again, and Van Dorn agreed almost instantly, but she wanted to know one thing.

\- Your secret identity? - now Max asked.

\- I provided it by myself...no, she wanted to know if you can make a difference, - Wayne glanced at Terry, and then he looked at Inque and Curare with Max, - If you all can make a difference.

\- And what did you say? - Inque turned to Wayne with a clear curiosity in her eyes, while Curare only opened her left eye with the same question in mind.

\- I said that I don't know if you can...but I know that you already did, - Wayne said with a small pause, sipping his tea again, - And if we keep this up...there is hope. There is always hope, - Wayne put his cup of tea to the side, - We still do not know many things and the real motives of New League, and this new "Unity" gang is extremely dangerous force...but with four of you, we can fight back. For now you all can rest - Gotham will be quite for this week, maybe two.

\- How can you te...oh, right, - Max wanted to ask a question when she realized, from whom she asked in the first place.

\- But our training will continue, especially with you, Maxine, - Wayne grinned at her, and Max just sighed in response.

When their meeting was over, Curare and Max returned to cave with Wayne and Ace, while Terry and Inque left the manor, going for their bikes:

\- You know...it felt good, - Inque suddenly said, taking a seat on her bike and crossing her legs together, - Saving people, breaking bad guys...of course the payment is nowhere near, but I'll manage, - she grinned, looking straight at McGinnis, but she saw that he was somewhat distressed, and her grin quickly disappeared, - You alright?

\- I should be cheering for us, but something tells me it's too soon for it, - Terry shook his head, putting helmet on, - And considering what Wayne said about the war...I can't get my mind off it.

\- And you should...visit my club whenever you want to go and relax, maybe with Maxine, I'll put her on the list too.

\- Yeah, thanks for the offer...and Inque, - he said before she could start her bike, and she turned to Terry with surprised expression on her face, - ...you did great today.

\- I know...But that wasn't exactly what you wanted to tell, - she smiled slyly, starting bike's engine as she formed a helmet with sharp ears.

\- ...yeah, it wasn't, - admitted Terry, closing the visor, - Tomorrow night?

\- Dance, talk, both?

\- Depends on how it goes.

\- Sounds fine for me, - she made engine roar, and soon enough she dusted off towards the city. Terry followed her only ten minutes later.

When he was on the road towards Gotham, driving on almost empty highway, he was thinking about what he was doing. Sure dating mature woman, who happens to be one of the most dangerous former enemies, is not the best idea in the universe...for some people is, but Wayne told him to keep her close enough to be able to distance himself. Nothing else goes beyond dances and talking for now, there's no harm in that. Sure there is...something going on between them, that was going from the very first clash up to this day, but Terry couldn't understand what exactly. But his thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a call, that he took with a push of a button on his helmet:

\- McGinnis here.

\- Terry, it's...me. Dana.

\- You alright?

\- Yes, I am OK...look, I wanted to talk with you, in person. How about we meet tomorrow after college on a parking lot?

\- Of course...you sure you alright?

\- It's just...nevermind, we have to talk, that's all I ask.

\- I will be there. I have some free time for now.

\- Figures...until tomorrow, bye.

\- Bye.

Despite how calm McGinnis was during conversation, there was a large pulsating thought in his head, that was screaming about how this one call just made things even more complicated than they were before. And no matter how he tried to push that thought away, it's still was here, not letting him go.

* * *

 **This is the end of the first story arc. Probably I should take some time to rest, play some games, watch Twilight Zone (original one) and write my main magnum opus, because the temptation to write further could lead to burning myself from the inside.**

 **There is now a reason why we need new Bat-family - as with BTAS, the threats are escalating, and Batman can't fight them alone. There are some ideas about several other characters that could join the newly founded Bat-family, some of which were in the Batman Beyond, BTAS and Justice League.**

 **Of course, I know how it will end. I have a strict vision, and I have a freedom to not make any compromise while moving to the end.**

 **Sure the M rating, which I wasn't using as much as I wanted, is not just for mere violence, drugs, slavery, corruption and other nasty stuff, but it's there because if I want to put something shocking and nasty, I can freely do it...and also because the story is far more complicated.**

 **Putting Dana in was comic-book style decision - the Hero tries to move on with his life, when his past life's crush suddenly returns. Adding the sexual tension between Terry and Inque, and voilà - we have a dramatic arc of overused "Live Triangle" cliché. But do not worry, I know what I am doing.**

 **In the next ark there is going to be some aspect, that was thrown out of the window in Batman: Beyond, while it was present in Justice League and JLU, but I will tell you nothing more - you probably guessed already, so let's keep it as a secret between us.**

 **As always, feedback is welcomed and appreciated. Even needed.**

 **I will see you in the next chapter.**


	7. The Veil

**This chapter will introduce you entirely new character, with it's own background and story arc. It will take time for this character to tell it's story and become something more, but everything takes time.**

 **And also this chapter introduces you a version of a character that you might know from DC universe.**

 **And, again, this chapter introduces you a subject that was thrown out of the window and my take on this subject and the reason why it was abandoned or never mentioned.**

 **So, let's abandon the spoiler area and get to it.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

As always, Inque was siting on the couch in her own VIP lounge, looking to the club beneath her. She placed some monitors and upgraded her place a bit, just to see things clearly. Here, a collector from Maroni taking his share for "protection" and getting a drink on the house...here, her guards are dealing with drug trafficking because Inque wants to keep her business as legal as possible...and here we have Deanna, walking towards her VIP lounge. Inque pressed a button on a remote controller to open the door for her and quickly closed it, when Deanna walked inside lounge.

\- Maroni raised their cut by two percents, - said Deanna, slowly walking to Inque, - Said, we need more of their protection these days.

\- I saw it, - Inque nodded to a screen on the wall, while ordering another music to be played, - But I can not act until Maroni will raise their cuts everywhere - I don't want them give any ideas when Bat-Inque will talk some sense into them.

\- Bat-Inque? - Deanna said skeptically.

\- That's how they call me now on newscaster, - Inque grinned, shaking her head in negative motion, - Guess I am stuck with that name.

\- Got it...look, I am also here because...you said, that I can own this place, if I can go to the top, - Deanna said, taking a sit near her mother.

\- That is correct, - Inque glanced at her quickly, making Deanna shiver - despite how relaxed Inque was around her, and despite her best attempts to forgive her...there still was a large rift between them.

\- I asked around, and...I need your money to pay for education, - said Deanna carefully, trying not to meet her mother's eyes.

\- Choose whatever you want, I will pay for it, - she nodded approvingly to Deanna, - But choose wisely, and don't delay your choice - you have only this summer to think about it.

\- Of course, - Deanna said, rising up from the couch and going to exit, - I have to go, hospital check up.

Inque opened the door for Deanna to leave and looked at one of the monitors, checking time on it. McGinnis send her a message that he will come along, but later, and for now she could relax, listening to music and feeling herself...free, alive...maybe complete or near completeness. It felt good to bee on the good guys side, but it felt even better to be able to finally start acting like a mother towards her own daughter.

The solution that Wayne found was lying inside Inque herself. Injecting stabilizers proved to be only supporting her condition, but the real treatment lied in her own stabilized mass. She provided 90% of her mass, and it should be able to enough for several years, but Wayne warned her that Deanna will become, in some terms, similar to Inque - it was clearly seen from computer simulations Wayne ran on Batcomputer, and the same thing were predicted by best and trusted doctors Wayne hired. It was a better alternative than see her own daughter slowly degrade, but...

Inque sighed and leaned back into her couch, looking at the ceiling, telling herself, that this is best possible outcome, a miraculous one - being Batman's right hand, kick bad guys off the streets, finding real solution to her problems...of course she had thoughts to just send Deanna away, to another city, but Inque and Wayne decided to develop several backup plans in case of emergency, while leaving Deanna in Gotham for further medical assistance. She couldn't help but to feel respect to this old man, who in his prime was clearing Gotham for decades and fought alongside Justice League, dealing with alien invaders, world cataclysms and other things. And while he was an old grumpy geezer, Wayne...Batman was still himself, with all the knowledge and wisdom. She remembered one of their episodes of training:

\- So, is this better? - Inque said, training her ventriloquism.

\- Better, but still traceable, - Wayne said it in such way that Inque heard this phrase from another direction.

\- ...how you manage to do that? - she said with a bewildered expression.

\- It's not as hard as you think, - Wayne pointed towards the case where a doll of Scarface was confined, - You do this all the time, but you never pay attention to it. In reality, you could become the best ventriloquist world ever known.

\- And how can I use it? Lure someone?

\- Exactly, - nodded Wayne, - Talk openly and make criminals believe what you want them believe...or to distress them, play on their fears and motives. Terry used such tactics in the past, and while he still needs training, he can be very proficient with it...but you, - Wayne looked at Inque firmly for a moment, which made her feel uneasy, - You are a meta-human. You can do things average person could not do, you can master many things to the point where you can become unstoppable. Terry will never be on your level, no matter how hard he will train.

\- I don't seek Batman's mantle, - Inque understood, there conversation went, and she crossed her arms together, looking back at Wayne with a serious expression, - I don't want it in the first place.

\- Do you know, why Batman should be a human?

\- ...no, - she answered honestly, shaking her head, - I have some ideas, but...no.

\- You will understand one day.

For now, the understanding still eluded her, but she knew it was something important to the Batman figure. But what, exactly? She looked at the monitor again and realized that McGinnis was a bit late, which wasn't an issue at all - college life, home duties, Batman stuff, and he still managed to get some time to spend around in her club. They all needed some time to rest and get their clean their thoughts from crime fighting and investigations while it was quite. Of course Curare will still train and relax in her own way, but they needed something...ordinary.

Suddenly she saw it - McGinnis arrived, parked his bike and went inside the VIP zone. When he arrived, Inque already gave all orders to be sure that no one trailed McGinnis here - security and secrecy for Batman were the same thing, as breathing air.

\- Nice to see your evil lair received some upgrades, - he said, looking at the monitors in her room.

\- You have your cave, and I have my lounge, - she retorted back with a smile, but Inque noticed how tensed and distressed McGinnis was, - ...seems like you were late because something happened.

\- You can say that, - he walked towards the bar and found some simple soda without alcohol - he still had to drive home. Inque raised her eyebrows, watching him closely as she turned in her couch to face him. After one glass of soda, Terry sighed and turned towards Inque, - I don't where to start...or if I should.

\- I am pretty straightforward woman, so you can hit me, not literally though...but I have a feeling that it's something really personal.

\- It is, - he nodded, taking some time to consider if he should even talk about that. He leaned against the bar, looking at Inque, - Before we met at Deanna's manor, I had a...bad fight with one close person, with whom I had dates for a long time...she called me tonight and asked to meet her again to discuss how we should continue, and if we should continue at all.

\- ...oh. Just when we had our first date and were about to make a second one, - Inque sounded what Terry already knew. She rose up in her couch and walked towards McGinnis, leaning at the bar beside him, - But I don't think this changes anything.

\- How so?

\- What we have right now is...consider this is a long foreplay with no strings attached, - she said with a familiar seductive smile on her face, - We can talk, dance, watch movies, visit some places, or what normal humans do in their free time...and this is not cheating for you, it's just you spend quality time with your best friend Inque, - she helped herself around the bar, making herself a cocktail of her own. By the look of it, it was something chemical and gooey, - And if this isn't working for you, you can visit me with Max, we broke the ice some days ago, - Inque turned to face Terry, placing her finger inside the chemical cocktail, slowly draining it, while she was looking at him with a clear curiosity in her eyes, - ...I wonder what will you do.

\- I have the same question for myself, - Terry rubbed his face tiredly, letting out a long sigh, - And I need to answer it.

\- Be honest, that's your best quality, because your honesty opens up something...remarkable to see, - Inque grinned again, glancing at Terry, - But I have a funny feeling that you are more honest to your enemies, rather that to your girlfriend.

\- Yeah, just like we are doing it right now, - Terry let out a short laugh, realizing his situation, - Because I can't talk to her about my job.

\- I talked to Deanna about what I was doing before, and what I am doing right now, - Inque frowned, looking at the monitor to see her daughter helping around the bar, - And she now experiences the world from the other side, seeing many things that are mostly stays in the shadows..., - Inque looked at Terry, with her smile and seductive look now completely vanished, - But she just touches it, while you and me live in those shadows...which is not for everyone...Terry.

\- ...that's the first time you called me like that.

\- First time for everything, but, my bad, we jumped the first kiss a while ago, - she laughed seeing Terry's reaction, putting on her seductive mask again for a short while, but she quickly continued seriously, - I can help you so far, but...

\- It's my choice, I get that, - sighed Terry, looking at the large pillar inside the club, where neon lights were dancing in some strange pattern, - ...maybe we should take it slower now, because I want to sort this out.

\- No pressure here...for now, - she bumped lightly on his shoulder, smiling at Terry, - Come one, you are getting like your old man - grumpy and closed off, while there's young blood inside you. Be a little more reckless and light-headed sometimes when you are off duty, you can afford that for now.

\- But just a little, - Terry smiled slyly and showed how "little", making Inque let out a short laugh, - Any ideas how to spend this night?

\- Maybe we should discuss how to spend next one - it seems that staying here will only harm your conscience...so how about you and Max will come to my place sometime?

\- Isn't our thing supposed to be some sort of date?

\- I am more interested in company of young energetic boys and girls, it suits me, - she smiled again, going to her couch and stretching to the sides, - Whatever you choose, it's entirely up to you.

\- ...I will leave tonight, - said Terry after thinking a lot about current situation, - I have to sort this out...but that doesn't mean we will end this.

\- Take your time, - Inque nodded, glancing at Terry from her couch, - Because we both know, what rushed choices can led to. I know for sure.

* * *

Days were going by in typical routine - training in Batcave, educating, working with devices so everyone could understand how they work, learning about newest criminal activity and, of course, planning to infiltrate inside the "New Dawn". But there were other thing to be worried about - Gotham was still itself, and they had to resume patrolling Gotham pretty soon. With three of them, they could cover more ground and help more people. Criminals, of course, were fighting back, but with one metahuman and one experienced assassin the fight was one-sided...for now:

\- Ears just dropped something interesting - there are rumors that gangs are not happy with our Bat-family, - said Terry, driving Batmobile through the Gotham, - Especially with Inque.

\- I wonder why? - she said sarcastically on the radiolink, while she was in the middle of interrogation, trying to decide which bone to break of the street robber.

\- I wonder. Too, - now it was Curare, who was stalking the kidnappers around the middle-Gotham. Bruce was developing new gear for her, but for now Curare was using gliding wings and grapple hook with rocket booster to travel around the city.

\- So, do we have any plan before we break into "New Dawn"? - asked Terry from Wayne, looking at the monitor of Batmobile.

\- So far - no. But I think we should interrogate those "New Dawn"'s mercenaries that were on the video while we break into their headquarters...if we can get ID on them. And to do that, we need to break inside, which I must say not the very easy task even for me...Inque, we need your experience, when everything will be ready for planning.

\- How much for the job?...joking, boss. Hey! - Inque shouted at someone in the background, - Stay on the head!

\- This new "Unity" group is also up to something, - said Terry, checking sensors on the Batmobile, - They are organized and equipped from the train wreckage, and they sure as hell connected to "New Dawn" and New League.

\- The latter definitely created "Unity" to make "New Dawn" a worthy adversary and to be a meaning of pushing PMC inside Gotham, - Wayne was working on the Batcomputer along with Max, who was monitoring distress signals...at least she tried to understand how to monitor and prioritize at all, - Despite how everything is quite, it's only temporary.

\- ...speaking of which, Gordon on the line, - said Max suddenly, - Patching her in.

\- Quite night, kids? - she asked with a slight grin on her face, - Because we have something unusual today.

\- What kind of unusual?

\- I just got visited by a European vigilante, calls herself Sidonia...and she came to seek aid from Batman and his allies.

\- When she came? - Terry asked, turning towards GCPD HQ.

\- One minute ago. I am turning on the signal.

\- On my way. Oracle, do we have anything on this Sidonia?

\- Well, she's new, not just in town - she appeared in the database of various agencies several weeks ago, - Max was already on her, digging onto new vigilante, - Not much known about her for now, but she wears some old looking armor...

\- Figures, - Wayne interrupted Oracle with his own observations, - Originally, Order of Sidonia was a Saxon knighthood order, that awarded women with status for their help with wounded soldiers during Franco-Prussian war, where Saxon were allies of Prussia.

\- So our vigilante likes history? - Terry asked, trying to follow what Wayne was trying to imply.

\- German history. Try to pay attention to her accent - the more information we get about her, the better.

\- ...she originated from Germany, - said Max after a small pause, - That's where first reports came from - she attacked a group of illegal antique traders...zero dead, by the way, but she beat them hard...and got beaten herself from what I see...She continued her crusade for a while, hitting criminal groups all over Western Europe, and suddenly vanished a week ago.

\- That's where she needed alibi to visit Gotham...and it happened after the shipment raid, - said Wayne, glancing at Max thoughtfully, - I don't believe this is coincidence.

\- It never is, - said Terry, carefully flying towards the GCPD rooftops.

He already saw them - Gordon on the rooftop with several most trusted police officers for backup was standing right next to a figure, that was above Gordon's height by head. This figure was inside weird suit of armor, that resembled typical European style of knight's armor, but it was...weird - the "armor" parts were narrow-sharp closed-off helmet with chain mail protection for neck, shoulder pads, hip pads, heavy-looking armored boots, armored gloves with armrests and some armor parts to protect organs. All those "armor" parts, bright-silver in color, were placed on the tight-looking black suit, that had resemblance to Terry's own suits except that the whole Sidonia's suit was a powered exoskeleton. She also had lots of utility belts for grenades and other stuff, but most importantly was her short sword with a large guard that she kept inside her scabbard. Sidonia also had her own transport - black aerobike, that was stationed nearby. Terry dropped down from the Batmobile, walking slowly towards Sidonia and realizing how tall she was - even taller than him. Inque was also there with Curare, but they were hiding on the rooftop in dark place, but Terry saw them with the help of their radiolink's signal.

\- ...how long have you been here? - asked Terry, carefully parking Batmobile on the landing pad.

\- Five, maybe ten minutes, - Inque said quietly.

\- And why? - Terry opened the cockpit and jumped from Batmobile, slowly walking towards Gordon and Sidonia.

\- We want some dramatic entry.

\- She wants. I just. Play along. For amusement, - replied Curare.

\- You can come out now, - said Terry, approaching Gordon and Sidonia. Inque and Curare finally came out from shadows, startling the police officers, but they recognized them before starting to shoot. Terry just closed his eyes for a moment before he approached Gordon and new vigilante, - Commissioner...Sidonia, - he nodded towards both of them, and Sidonia responded with a slow respectful bowing of her head, - What's for tonight?

\- That's up to our guest to tell us, - Gordon glanced at Sidonia appraisingly, while taking step to the side.

\- A large collection of stolen old historical artifacts was transported to Gotham, - she started to talk. Sidonia used a voice modulator to disguise and distort her voice, making it more mechanical, but her accent still was there. A German accent, - I tracked them down to private warehouse, where they will be held for some time.

\- You seem pretty capable and well equipped, why you need my help? - Terry crossed his arms on his chest, looking straight at Sidonia's helmet. He couldn't saw her eyes, but she probably worked around it with sensors or other things.

\- ...I am not experienced in crime fighting, like you are, - she admit with a pause, letting out a short sigh, - And I need help to track those artifacts, because they probably moved or are about to - they never stay in one place for more than three-four days.

\- How those artifacts came to Gotham? - asked Gordon from Sidonia.

\- Sea shipment, - she turned her head towards Gordon, - It arrived when your attention was diverted to a gang war and trap, that nearly killed Batman.

\- Do you know anything else about this shipment? - asked Terry.

\- It had artifacts from all over the world, - Sidonia now turned towards Batman, - And maybe something else, because I kept losing them a lot.

\- ...should we tell her? - Batman asked from Gordon.

\- I think we should, no reason to keep her in the dark, and we need more information on the case, - she nodded.

It took a while, but Terry and Gordon filled Sidonia briefly in what was happening around Gotham - they talked enough to make her understand the situation, while keeping lots of critical details to them. After some questions Sidonia took some time to process the information before she continued:

\- Now I believe this is not a coincidence either. I can point you at people who were dealing with the shipment, not only the captain guard you arrested, but those who were paid on the border and those who transported the contents to the very first secure warehouse, - Sidonia slowly reached for her pectoral pocket on the utility belt, opening a secure container and giving Gordon a small disc, - It's a copy of everything I got.

\- That would be useful, - Gordon nodded, taking the disc from Sidonia, - And maybe you should track them, but not raid them on the spot.

\- You suggesting to take them hot, while they will transport the artefacts from one place to another, - Terry quickly got the idea, turning to face Gordon.

\- Exactly. Raiding private warehouse would raise questions, because we do not have warrant...but a sudden police patrol could stop the convoy and inspect it because of anonymous tip or another convenient reason, - Gordon smiled like a sly fox, putting her hands inside the coat, - And if they will hide behind the law to avoid inspection, something could happen to attract police attention and make them panic, - Gordon looked at Inque, who responded with a slight nod, getting the general idea.

\- Smart strategy, - nodded Sidonia, - What will be our next step?

\- You will lead us to the warehouse you tracked down, and we will get some answers from there, - said Batman to her, - If the artifacts moved, we will find out where, and if they don't, we will find out when they will move them, if tonight - we track them to the next place.

\- Got it. I am ready, and you?

\- Always...also, can your aerobike take a second passenger?

Soon Curare and Sidonia were on the aerobike, leading the way, and Inque was casually laying inside Batmobile, playing on some newly bought game system with headphones swallowed a bit inside her mass.

\- How you managed to hid it? - finally asked Terry, looking at the reflection of Inque and her game. She was playing some sort of stealth action game, carefully and non-lethally taking down everyone one by one...using a cardboard box.

\- I stored myself in this flying toaster, remember?

\- ...yeah, I remember it too good. Sidonia, how long?

\- Almost there, - she responded on the radiolink Terry gave her for the time being.

They dropped down on the rooftops of some old warehouse - Sidonia hid her bike with a special camouflage net in darkness while Terry just left Batmobile in silent running and cloaked it on the rooftops near Sidonia's aerobike. Four of them started to move around, and Sidonia surprised everyone with her version of grappling hook that was attached to her wrist protection. While it was rather short and slow one, it was able to carry her around, but Terry noticed that she was still trying to use it correctly.

When they finally reached needed roof, everyone slowly crouched behind Sidonia, who took cover in shadows and pointed towards the warehouse on the other side of the road. It wasn't noticeable, just another private warehouse, but they were a little late - there were eight trucks at loading areas, and some trucks were already leaving the area, one by one with big intervals.

\- You sure this is the place? - asked Batman, taking a careful peek from his cover. Curare was doing the same thing with her optical sensor device.

\- It is, - nodded Sidonia, - Some of those people are wanted, and if we could get a clear picture and laptop, I would've...

\- Oracle, - Terry interrupted Sidonia while he was looking around the warehouse, - I need you to ID everyone Curare and I managed to have visual on.

\- On it, running face recognition...she is right - some of those men are wanted or paroled, but they are all US citizens, - answered Max, working hard and fast to get Terry needed information, - Some of those men are wanted for years.

\- This warehouse also had reputation of being transit station for gray or illegal deals, - that was Wayne talking, - GCPD tried to shut this place down seven times, but the owner of this warehouse was two steps ahead from them.

\- Sounds like they had an advantage because they were warned by corrupt officers, - said Sidonia, turning her helmet a bit towards Batman, - I don't say the commissioner is the one, but those who under her - definitely are.

\- Gordon was with most trusted and clean cops, Sidonia, - Terry shook his head in negative motion, taking pictures of license plates and trucks with his sensors, - But now I know why she wanted to make such complicated operation.

\- And we better help her make it succeed. While it's good to have a pictures of those trucks, we have to find a way to track them without being seen, - Wayne leaned back to his chair, watching at the monitor of Batcomputer.

\- Do we have a Bat-tracking-thingy? - asked Inque, - I don't want to say Bat-bug.

\- You just said that, - Terry searched his utility belt for little tracking device, giving it to Inque, - Be careful, - she nodded, swallowing the beacon inside her mass and started to slowly slither from the side of the building. While Inque was approaching vehicles without being noticed, Terry took another look at Sidonia and suddenly asked, - I have a feeling I have to sue you for copyright infringement, - she turned her helmet to him silently, clearly not getting it, - Grappling hook? Utility belt? Grenades?

\- ...I took inspiration from you...and the one who was before you, - she explained, turning away, - In terms of gear, tactics and maybe some other things.

\- No-killing rule too? - Terry just kept asking questions while he could.

\- Yes, - she turned her helmet back to face Terry, - But I don't have the same experience as you...and I don't think I will do this for long - I have a goal, and when I reach this goal, I will put this suit back.

\- Many people were talking just like you, and they never retired...maybe you will be the first one who could do this, - Terry watched as Inque waved him with her tentacle from the storm drain. She waited for the next truck to go past her and attached the tracking beacon to it, - Good job, Inque.

\- I know. I will follow them to the final destination and observe from a distance.

\- We will have to make shifts, - said Wayne on the radiolink, - Starting today, Inque - four hours, Curare - next four hours, Batman will enter the shift tomorrow.

\- Got it, boss.

\- And me? - said Sidonia.

\- And you, young lady, will be in touch with us, - said Wayne uncompromisingly, - As you said yourself, you do not have the needed experience, but your help will be required during the raid on the convoy...and maybe you can use your persona and connections to figure out more information.

\- ...you figured it out? - she asked with a clear indication of fear in her voice.

\- Not yet. And if I will, I will keep it for myself, unless you will made me use this knowledge, - Wayne made a pause, to let those words sink in, - That's our deal. You better prepare your suit and equipment for the raid, because it won't be easy.

* * *

Inque confirmed that everything was relocated to yet another warehouse, and shifts were made by Wayne to keep track on artifacts - one always at post while other two patrolling in other parts of city. Gordon was informed about the location and she make some changes into shifts and patrol area to be able to intercept convoy in time. With shifts planned, everyone started to wait for opportunity to strike, and while they Bat-family was waiting, Dana decided to go with Terry on a concert. She already had tickets, so she left no choice for McGinnis.

The choice was interesting - Dana bought tickets for a group called "Screaming Veil", that were performing in retro-alternative-metal genre. The concert room was quite big, able to accommodate about five-seven thousand people. The stage was a round one and was located in the center, on a big platform with guard railing, and this stage could slowly rotate when needed. Dana bought very expensive tickets that allowed both of them to be close enough to the stage.

\- I heard something about them, - Terry carefully walked with Dana, trying to squeeze through the crowd, - They are quickly coming up to the top of charts.

\- I bought all their albums and EP's, their singer is very talented...and the music is really schway.

\- Well, I never doubted your musical taste, not going start now.

\- Of course you won't...tsh, here she is.

\- She?

The center of the platform opened, and a big lift brought up "Screaming Veil" under loud ovation - four men and one woman, all looking in their mid-twenties. He couldn't see them clearly from distance, but they were all dressed in some schway black gothic attire, with main singer waring a semi-transparent white veil over her face. She raised her hands slowly into the air, asking the audience to come down to their senses and waiting for complete silence to fall down. Only after that they started the concert, starting with instrumental experiments, that sounded really nice and were warming up crowd steadily.

But when the first notes of their latest hit rocked the air, everyone went crazy. "Veil" had to even prolong their intro for some time before the main singer started to sing. From the first words that came out it came clear why Dana loved this stuff - main singer while had a bit hoarse tone, it was a powerful one and captivating one. Terry couldn't find right words to describe what he felt, and he only got back to his senses when it was over. Dana was still looking at the central platform, sighing with a clear disappointment in her voice:

\- Well, that hour and a half concert felt like ten minutes.

\- ...I am taking back my pessimism, - said Terry to Dana, shaking his head slightly, - I mean, wow...I never heard someone sing like this.

\- McGinnis, I hope it's just a common praise, - Dana turned to Terry, frowning.

\- Of course it is, - he quickly raised his hands in defending motion, - Look - no one danced or tried to trash this place up, everyone just stood there.

\- And this is what makes this band schway.

On the way from the concert Terry couldn't resist to buy all the available albums, some T-shirts and accessories for bags, Dana also asked Terry to buy something from concert for herself. Of course Terry bought it, and they went into nearest cafe to continue their date, discussing the concert, the band itself and it's superstar:

\- So, they are all Irish?

\- Only Aileen, others are Scottish or British, - Dana took a sip of cocktail Terry bought for her and closed her eyes for a moment with a dreaming face, - And her voice is something I never heard anywhere. Sure there are many singers around there, but they can't compete with Aileen.

\- Yeah, because not every singer or composer can make me spend money on that, - Terry grinned and nodded to his bag with all merchandise stuffed inside.

\- McGinnis, you are irredeemable, - Dana chuckled, looking at Terry slyly.

\- I know...and, don't be mad, because I know you will be, but I have to go to work in about forty minutes.

\- ...McGinnis..., - Dana moved her cocktail to the side, now quickly looking completely pissed off.

\- Dana, we had a good time, right? And we can have even some more right now...if you let this go.

\- You know, I wanted to take it slow, but you just pushed me, - Terry knew exactly what will happen, and he mentally prepared himself for this, - You injured yourself when you were working for that grateful mister Wayne, you were put in a hospital, for God sake! - she didn't yelled...yet, but she leaned towards him to hiss like a really dangerous snake, - Yeah, you mother called me, because you did not, and I wanted to visit you but I had no idea where Wayne put you in, even your mother didn't! - she looked around to see, that everyone in the cafe were attending their business, and Terry took the opportunity.

\- Yes, I injured myself when I was repairing boiler system, - he sighed, remembering instantly the alibi they developed with Wayne, - It was new one, but someone probably had an idea to attack Wayne with it - he had lots of enemies.

\- Yes! Lots! And you are what, his meat shield? - Dana went even more furious, now raising her voice, - Why are you working for him?

\- Because this work pays for my college, - responded Terry almost instantly, - Because this work helps us with the paychecks, because this work allows me to have internship in most advanced corporation in the world...it's hard, - he continued after a small pause, seeing how Dana had nothing to say, - It's dangerous, sometimes it's ungrateful, but this is what I need to do.

\- You just never told me about what exactly you do, - Dana backed down, placing her hand over Terry's, - And even if you will not tell me...is this dangerous work worth it? I mean, you could've died.

\- I know, - Terry nodded, slowly taking Dana's hand, - But it's worth it.

* * *

Next few days went in the previous routine, until it was time to strike the convoy. Inque, Curare, Sidonia and Batman placed several remote hidden camera's around the warehouse for Oracle to observe the area, while Inque was creeping around to not let the convoy go. When first three trucks moved, Inque managed to get inside the last one without being noticed and quickly reported:

\- Three very bad guys inside with some serious gear...inner hidden camera...oh, they had a blind spot. Peek-a-boo...jackpot, it's legit one.

\- Gordon, you heard that? - asked Terry, while he was flying above the convoy in silent running. Curare was inside the Batmobile in her black attire, watching convoy closely.

\- Loud and clear, - she quickly responded, - There's a police patrol on the intersection nearby, I will tip them. Inque, how serious is gear?

\- Laser rifles, armor pads, helmets, slug pistols...each one has one grenade.

\- In Europe they used local mercenaries, but all they got were old weapons, - said Sidonia, who were driving her aerobike several blocks away from the convoy, - Your criminals are much more dangerous.

\- They always are...Gordon, got a visual on police car, they are stopping the convoy, - Terry saw how police aerocar signaled the first truck to stop and demanded to pull over to the side of the road, - Sidonia, you cover the rear and use those things I gave you to stop the trucks from moving, but don't go into open - hide behind something...Curare, you take the second truck, and I will take the first one. Inque is our ace in the hole if something goes wrong.

\- Not "if", but "when", - she said in the radiolink, - Ready to trash.

\- I know you are ready, - Terry initiated the frequency suppression system and checked it to be only allow his and police's radiolinks to be working around. Then he turned on optical camo and dropped down from the Batmobile, gliding towards the police car and silently dropping behind it. Batman lowered his voice while he was observing the conversation, - OK, they are inspecting the manifest now, but it seems it's legit one. Inque.

\- Finally! - The third truck started to shake violently, quickly attracting policemen to it, especially when shots were made from the inside from sluggers, - That was me, I already done with those guys, and also they will not move anywhere soon.

\- ...oh crap, - Terry noticed that one of the drivers reached for slug pistol, and Terry made a split-second decision to fire a flashbang batarang, - Curare! - shouted Terry, quickly reaching for the drivers and getting them out of the truck with their faces down to the ground.

\- Dropping, - she dropped from the Batmobile on the second truck, which started to move, trying to get back to the warehouse. Curare used her blade to hold herself in place, but Sidonia was already covering from her side - she threw several EMP sticky grenades at the truck, turning it down completely. Curare nodded to Sidonia and threw sleeping gas tablets inside the cabin and inside the hole she made with her sword.

Terry and two police officers were busy with the first truck, Inque already took care of the third one, and Sidonia with Curare were fighting together with the second truck's guard. It didn't take long, though - Inque even knocked out the drivers from the third truck, and the element of surprise payed off. When they finished with tying everyone up, Terry nodded to police officers who were requesting backup forces and went inside the first truck, carefully opening one of the crates to see some sort of old jade statue.

\- Yeah, it's the one - the truck has some old artifacts inside, - Terry closed the crate, getting out of the truck and contacting Wayne, - Sidonia, Inque?

\- Same.

\- Same.

\- Good to hear, now we need to...

The sudden force along with the deafening shout knocked Terry so hard from his feet that he crashed through the wall. Batman groaned, removing the debris from himself when he saw Curare flew past him, crashing inside the same store Batman crashed in, but she was getting up quickly. Batman got out from the crashed store and saw something that caught him off guard.

Sidonia was fighting with a stranger figure when Batman managed to get outside, and he got a pretty good look at that woman - it was a female for sure - that punched Sidonia so hard that latter fell on her back several meters away from the attacker. Her whole body was black with white parts on the chest area, gloves and boots (which had some weird torn effect). Cut white hair with black strips and length enough to cover the neck, weird white face with strange skull-esque expression and ghostly cyan eyes.

\- Silver Banshee! - Wayne even rose up in his chair, not believing his eyes, - She uses her voice to project soundwaves, which could be deadly enough to outright kill you, and she is very dureable.

\- I am not...that powerful, - she suddenly talked, facing Terry. There was something weird with her, like she was trying to move but couldn't, and speaking was hard for her, - ...leave...I don't want to do this.

\- Then why are doing this?

\- I...n-no, I am..., - she suddenly grabbed her head and let out such screech, that the section of the road under her started to crack and fall down. Terry was lucky, he had Batsuit and some experience with Shriek to compensate sound effects, maybe Sidonia had something like that too, but Inque and Curare...no, Curare is fine, she put her healing salve over her ears. Meanwhile Banshee stopped her screeching and dropped down to her knees, growling in anger, - Leave! I don't want to hurt you!

\- But I want.

Inque suddenly appeared behind Banshee and threw her tentacle arm at her, closing her mouth and jaw, while also choking slowly by her neck. Narrowing her eyes, Inque started to trash Banshee around, hitting her head over the road, trucks and buildings. That gave Terry enough time to approach policemen and help them go into police car to evacuate them:

\- Inque, we need to take fight somewhere else! - yelled Batman on the radiolink, seeing that Inque was holding Banshee in the air, choking her and squeezing her hard.

\- She will be out very soo...

Inque couldn't finish her sentence as Banshee suddenly managed to tear Inque's mass in one motion. While she was in the air, Banshee screamed down at Inque with such force that it pinned Inque down, and later the part of the road fell down along with her. Banshee stop her screaming when she took a rocket to the face from Batmobile, throwing her backwards to hit the road several times...but it wasn't enough, because she was slowly getting up, restoring herself gradually.

\- ...now that's cheating, - said Terry crossly, looking at sensors to see how Banshee was restoring.

\- You can't fight the Banshee now, - said Wayne on the radilonk, - We have to retreat.

\- You don't say? - moaned Inque on the radio, slithering behind Banshee and distracting her for a short while by throwing her dagger-like mass at her.

\- ...Curare, Sidonia, we need to take take those vehicles to GCPD. Get those people inside the trucks, Inque! Go get her! - Batman launched yet another rocket, but Banshee destroyed it halfway to her, rising up in the air to avoid Inque and to face Batmobile...when suddenly Inque moved towards Sidonia's bike and slithered inside it, activating thrusters and ramming right into surprised Banshee. Inque managed to threw her mass into Banshee to close off her mouth for a short while, and it was enough for bike to ram into Banshee and take her to the upper road, exploding from collision.

\- Damn it, I hope you will compensate it for me, Inque! - said Sidonia, quickly getting tied up people inside the trick

\- I will buy you a better one! - Inque managed to drop down right before the explosion and now she was a gliding mass, - But she's tough, gotta give it to her.

\- We only. Need. To stall her, - said Curare on the radiolink, already getting inside the truck and dusting off from the fight.

\- Loaded both trucks, - reported Sidonia, getting inside one, - I will be right behind Curare.

\- Boss, any ideas? - asked Terry, looking at Banshee who appeared slowly from smoke and fire, looking right at Inque with wide open fiery eyes.

\- You can't do anything to her for now...but you got a cavalry.

\- I see them, - Batman saw on the sensors multiple police aerocars that were approaching on a high speed towards the Banshee, who wasn't sure what to do. Growling from desperation, she suddenly rushed down, making her way right through several levels before disappearing.

\- ...I will not even think about pursuing her, - said Inque, looking though the hole Banshee made to escape, - Damn, she is really tough one...

* * *

All three trucks were received by Gordon, along with the perpetrators and camera feedback. The captured thugs quickly made a deal with the GCPD, selling everyone out. Sidonia, despite how badly was her exoskeleton damaged in a short fight with Banshee, was fine and she retreated to her hideout, while Wayne ordered everyone to rest. Later in the early morning GCPD took down the warehouse, securing even more antiques and capturing dozens of people involved into this operation. So, before Gordon was about to call, Wayne gathered everyone at Batcomputer:

\- Silver Banshee, the previous one, on the left. This one on the right is completely different, - he showed everyone two images - one on the left side of the screen showed the Silver Banshee from Justice League time, and another image was taken from Terry's Batsuit, - Not only visually, but different behavior, different speech pattern.

\- So she is like me? Took up the mantle from previous one? - asked Terry, comparing two images.

\- Maybe, but it's not important, - Wayne opened a file with a captured video footage, showing everyone the segment where Banshee was screaming, holding her head with both hands, - Before this happened, she was stalling the moment of her attack, and more to it - she tried to scare you off with her sheer power. The real Silver Banshee would kill you on the spot without hesitation or second thought.

\- Someone is forcing her hand? - now came question from Inque, looking at new Banshee seriously.

\- Exactly. And she is not that powerful as the original Banshee, - Wayne leaned back into his chair, frowning and studying several other images closely, - The original Banshee went toe-to-toe with Superman, event to the point where she managed to defeat him several times...Supergirl was also having troubles with original Banshee.

\- ...OK, now I am afraid of her, - said Inque, breaking the silence after Wayne's words, - But right now she is not that powerful, and we have a chance to fight with her?

\- We have, but her appereance is more than just a coincidence, - Wayne opened some files on original Banshee, refreshing his memory, - Originally, she was created when her magical ritual failed due to sabotage from her own brother, - Wayne read a passage that came from Zatanna's and Constantine's knowledge, - She presumably died, but was resurrected by a powerful being named Crone and returned back as Silver Banshee to honor the deal they had.

\- Magic? - Terry raised his eyebrows, - Higher beings?

\- You are leaving in the world with splicers, cyborgs, metahumans and Green Lanterns, and you are surprised by magic? - asked Wayne back to Terry.

\- Actually, I am. I mean, I can find explanation how some things work, but magic? Some beings in other planes of existence?...you were not kidding about battling demons, - suddenly said Terry, remembering one of their conversations, and Wayne's grin only confirmed it, - So, what happened to that one?

\- I have several theories, but they are nothing without any viable proof...and we are in very bad position, since there are not so many magical and occult specialists left in the world - most of them died or disappeared, - Wayne crossed his finger together, looking at new Banshee thoughtfully, - Her appearance means one thing - magic returned to Gotham in some form, and she was protecting convoy because along with the historical artifacts someone could smuggle magical ones.

\- So we can't contact anyone to help us with her?

\- No, - Wayne closed his eyes and slightly sighed, - There is no one left to help us with that matter. We have to find a way to rescue Silver Banshee and to understand how this shipment and Sidonia are connected to New League...but we have to talk about how you fared against Banshee, - Wayne turned in his chair towards Inque, Curare and Terry, looking at them firmly.

\- Here we go, - Inque sighed.

\- Curare, you made everything out of the opportunity to attack her from behind, - Curare slowly bowed her head, listening to Wayne's words, - And you made a right choice to not engage in battle when you failed, seeking new opportunity to attack. You were analyzing your enemy?

\- Yes. Took longer. Than it. Should.

\- You did everything right, but you need to voice your observations and plan accordingly...and maybe we should make an operation on your throat for it to heal faster, - Wayne now turned to Inque, - You underestimated your opponent, and it is a miracle that it wasn't a fatal mistake, though you learned from her mistake...I hope...and Terry, - Wayne glanced at McGinnis, who quickly tensed, - Good call to take fight somewhere else and commanding in general. Quick thinking.

\- There were no other options, - Terry relaxed his shoulders a bit, - Either this, or we get our butts kicked.

\- What also interesting, is that Banshee could hear radiolink, but only from close distance and definitely not from the inside of Batmobile, - remembered Wayne, turning towards the Batcomputer, - That is something we all should keep in mind while dealing with her.

\- But how we can beat her? - asked Terry, rubbing the back of his neck.

\- ...exosuit, - suddenly said Inque, with everyone turning to face her, and she just pointed at it in the armory, - That thing could punch really hard, I can vouch for it. Why we won't use this thing?

\- It puts too much strain on the heart of the user, - Wayne explained, looking at the exosuit, - Mine for sure, but we did not tested it on Terry...and we needed it only in one occasion, - said Wayne, glancing at grinning Inque.

\- So...what our options? - asked Terry from him.

\- ...I will pull the strings to be able to upgrade our current exosuit or construct a new one, - said Wayne after a long pause, thinking about current situation, - But until we got it, we can't afford a direct confrontation with Banshee - even in her current state she is still powerful enough to fight with all of you and win...now, - Bruce nodded to Batcomputer where Gordon was calling in, - Let's focus on what we have.

\- We busted many people today, but according to data Sidonia provided and various testimonies from our unlucky souls we missed several trucks that were able to leave before we managed to close the perimeter, - Gordon looked outside of the screen, probably looking at another computer screen, - Our guests are talking a lot to give us bigger picture, though, and we are onto big black market group that specializes in antiques and rare items...but that is something interesting - according to testimonies, Silver Banshee was helping with convoy protection, but she always stayed away to be a backup force...and there were also some items that were not supposed to be brought to auction, rather they were supposed to be traded to another customer...customers.

\- Do you have anything else? - asked Wayne from her.

\- Not at the moment, but I will keep pressing around...and kids, - Barbara glanced over the trio with a slight grin on her face, - You did good today, but don't get it over your head...tomorrow I want see you with Sidonia at GCPD, can you contact her?

\- I already did send her a message, she will come. Ten?

\- Ten. Gordon out.

\- This just keeps getting bigger and bigger, - said Inque, shaking her head slightly, - But, on the plus side, we have Sidonia, and probably we can rescue the Banshee from whoever controls her.

\- It could by either control via magical artifact or physical implant, - said Wayne, crossing fingers together, - And whatever this control device is, it must have direct communication with her.

\- Just like...that thing, several months ago, - said Terry to Bruce with a clear hint in his voice.

\- Something like that, - he nodded, getting the idea...when suddenly he returned to Batcomputer, opening recorded video. Wayne kept opening and closing the segments when he found one - it was the moment when Banshee turned around to get smashed by Sidonia's aerobike. Just before that hit Banshee was completely turned towards Batmobile with her back. Studying the one section of the video, Wayne zoomed in and enhanced the video, repeating it again on a very slow speed. Just for a split-second Banshee's black suit or mass drifted apart from her back, revealing a physical device that was implanted over her spine.

Inque couldn't find any words, but watching in horror at what she saw. Curare maybe wasn't as shocked as Inque, but her eyes widened when she was studying the device.

\- ...what is this thing? - Terry forgot how to breathe for a moment, looking at the device in utter disbelief.

\- Spine. Of the. Sinner, - suddenly said Curare, coming closer and pointing on the segments of this device, - Multiple. Needles. Have to. Keep it connected. With the spine. One segment falls. Other explodes...look, - she pointed towards the back of Banshees head, which also opened for a split-second, revealing yet another device attached to her head, - That is how. They control her...she risked. Showing it. To us.

\- ...Curare, do you know how exactly Spine of the Sinner works? - Wayne glanced at her with such cold fury, that Curare found herself fearing this old man.

\- ...I will. Find. The one. Who knows. It will...take time.

\- Now we are even more limited in terms of engaging Banshee, because if she will be defeated..., - Wayne glanced at the image again, feeling how fury kept boiling inside him, - ...there will be nothing left of her afterwards.

* * *

 **Whew. Yeah. Silver Banshee. Entirely new one. I wasn't quite...satisfied with how she was handled, especially with her constant downgrades and her New-52 appearance. The potential of the story of Silver Banshee is insane, and the potential of Banshee Beyond - even more intriguing and hooked me as idea. And this introduction of Banshee helps to introduce magic, or it's remains, into B:B, which will play it's role later.**

 **And, of course, Sidonia - entirely new character, that wasn't given her proper time in this chapter, but we will get to that in time. She is more like a...concept of how Batman Beyond changes the world around him to the point where people are looking up to him to use his tactics and gear to start their own crusade.**

 **Next chapter maybe will be really big because of how many arcs are connected to each other, and I need to resolve some of them before moving on.** **But I don't regret about multiple arcs being implemented at the same time - it adds the tension and feeling of the scale of those events, especially when you resolve them.**

 **See you in the next chapter. I hope soon, because this takes A LOT of time, and the next chapter will take probably even more.**

 **I just hope it's interesting enough. Feel free to comment/rate and other things like that.**


	8. To Shed The Light

**Kept you waiting, huh?**

 **I had some distractions and decided to take some time for rest, since the last chapters were coming in within days, or even within one day. Burning myself out was not a good idea, but the inspiration is something that never asks about conveniences.**

 **So, chapter 9 is coming up, and it's gonna be the end of this ark. Probably. I still need to think about some things, but this will be a short arc for sure, but we still have other arcs going on.**

 **This chapter includes the appearance of yet another familiar character.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

\- So, kid, - Gordon smirked, looking at gathered vigilantes, - You trashed them hard, but it's not enough - we still lost some of the cargo and we have to deal with the auction...and metahuman, - Gordon glanced at Terry, - I heard everything from boss, but I hoped that you could come up with something against Banshee.

\- The only person who can fight her one-on-one is Inque, - Terry nodded to woman, who was discussing something with Sidonia, while Curare meditated nearby, - But you also know that Banshee is a captive.

\- I know, - Gordon frowned, nodding to Terry, - And it complicates things a lot...maybe we can do something about it.

\- Like what?

\- She is needed still, and she won't be killed off in the event if we force her to retreat from battlefield, - Gordon took her glasses off, rubbing her nose-bridge, - The other thing is we don't know how to make her retreat, since her powers are too great to deal with...and we still have other things to deal with - "New Dawn", senators, assassins, dirty cops, "Unity", crime rising...I never wanted to be wrong so badly, but it seems I was right about new storm.

\- How can we help? - asked Terry quietly.

\- We have some information from Sidonia and from other captives, and it could help us to locate the place of illegal auction, - she said, putting her glasses back, - But I know about dirty cops in this very building, that could jeopardize whole operation, and it wouldn't be easy to get rid of them and replace with some proper men. Some of them are bought, some of them are intimidated and blackmailed, and the legal system can't properly fight with this, - with some hesitation, Gordon took out a small disk from her coat, extending it to Terry, - I can't believe I am the one talking about this, but I need your help to clean the department, if you and old man have time.

\- I will look into this, - Terry nodded, taking CD into secure storage, - And what our plan now?

\- The auction will held in several days. Sidonia insists on her partaking in this operation, - Gordon nodded towards armored woman, - Says she has personal interest, but it's not about the antiques.

\- She wants to get someone who crossed her, - said Terry, glancing at Sidonia, - Who made her wear this exosuit.

\- My thoughts exactly, - sighed commissioner, - Vengeance. Sounds familiar?

\- Maybe too familiar, - Terry nodded in response, - I will keep an eye on her. Where the auction will be held?

\- It's all on CD.

\- ...right. Inque, Curare, Sidonia, - Terry raised his voice, - We are done here.

\- Finally, because we have a rain coming up, - Inque pointed towards the heavy dark clouds, jumping into the Batmobile. As Inque promised, she bought Sidonia new aerobike, which now was following Batmobile with Sidonia and Curare on it. Inque, as usual, placed her hands over Terry's shoulders, - So...what's the plan?

\- Patrol for tonight, analyze the data, make a plan that will actually work this time, - answered Terry, inserting CD into the receiver, - Boss, uploading information.

\- It will take time for me to systematize it, - responded Wayne, - Patrol the city for tonight, I will assign you to different parts of the city...and yes, Inque, you will be assigned to lower Gotham to avoid rain.

\- Great...

\- And what about me? - asked Sidonia over the radiolink.

\- You, as usual, will be assigned along with Curare. Consider this a training routine before the major mission, - answered Wayne with a slight chuckle, - Of course if you do not have something better to do.

\- No, I do not, - she sighed, - But why with Curare?

\- Because you are not the only one who must train in my ways.

* * *

The night went as usual, without major accidents, and Wayne released them just hours before morning. Terry got his quick sleep, enough to travel home and pick his stuff for studies, and his daily routine continued - home, quick breakfast, trip to college, studies and another meeting with Max on the parking lot:

\- I should probably buy one, - sighed Max, looking at Terry's bike, - It just takes too long to use public transportation.

\- I know, used to use monorails for some time. At least splicers are gone from them, - grinned Terry, - Long night, Max?

\- Yeah, old man is pushing me hard...but he knows so much, even more than our black creepy lady, - Max took a pause, looking around to spot Inque, and only when everything was clear she continued, - But it's not a problem right now. Dana is.

\- How so?

\- She is digging to me about what you are doing and why we are talking here a lot, - Max sighed, rubbing the back of her neck, - And she wants to ask you out the same day when we will have our...extra-class activity.

\- ...great, - Terry sighed in response, placing his hand over his face, - Just...great.

\- Terry, I don't want to push you, so hear me out...I don't think this will work out. It's your choice, - Dana quickly interrupted him when Terry glanced at Max with an irritated expression, - And you know better how to deal with it and what is better for yourself, but that was the reason you broke up in the first place.

\- I know, I know...I just..., - Terry sighed again, placing a helmet on his head, - ...I just wanted it to work, and...come to think of it - I hate to say it - I knew somewhere deep inside that it wouldn't be the same, that...it would not work out in a long run.

\- ...I wish I could help you somehow, but...look, maybe you cal listen to that new album of "Screaming Veil"? I know it sounds stupid, but their music is just so good, and that singer could really make you forget - at least for a time - about who you are, and problem you have. Clear your head.

\- Yeah, maybe I shou..., - Terry suddenly paused. Something that Max said was not right, because...she never liked something like this before, she doesn't even like this genre.

\- ...McGinnis?

\- You don't happen to have a copy of their new album?

\- Yeah, I have, - she nodded, taking out her PDA, - Is everything fine?

\- I just need to check something, - Terry took out his own PDA, downloading the music and closing his helmet off, - It's probably nothing, but I have a weird hunch. Talk to you later.

All the way to the Wayne Manor Terry was trying to compose his thoughts together, because he kept feeling like he was about to reach for something important, but what? He just had a very weird feeling, and after a while of being Batman he started to trust his own feelings, and this was the one that wasn't from McGinnis. Terry parked his bike inside the garage and quickly dashed inside the Batcave with a PDA in his hands. Wayne, as usual, was working on the cases, and when he turned to face Terry, he quickly noticed how tensed up he was:

\- What happened?

\- I have something really weird to ask of you, - Terry quickly approached Wayne with his PDA and wireless headphones, - I need you to listen to this. I know that you don't like modern music, but...I have a hunch that this is important.

\- ...play the track, - Wayne said after a pause, putting headphones on his head and making some adjustments.

\- What. Is. Happening? - that was Curare, who was spending all her free time in Batcave. She noticed that weird scene happening right in front of her eyes and decided to approach.

\- I maybe doing something stupid or important right now, Curare, - Terry played the track, adjusting the volume settings for Wayne, taking a quick glance at the woman - she was relatively naked, aside from her mask and straps of cloth that were used as her bra and loincloth.

\- What?

\- Nothing, just...don't go around fully naked.

\- Is. Batman. Embarrassed? - Terry could swear that she was smiling under her mask. She crossed her arms together, looking at Wayne who was still listening to the music, - And we need. More. Training. Sessions. You are still. Weak. From left side.

\- I know. And you are not as good as I am at improvising.

\- That is why. We should. Share our knowledge. Faster, - Curare glanced at McGinnis, - We failed. To trace. Sidonia. She left. Aerobike. And used. Sewer systems. But she is. Even more amateur. At combat. Than you are.

\- That's a relief, - Terry sighed and paused the track, taking off headphones from Wayne, - So, what do you think?

\- Relatively good. The singer got a serious talent, - nodded Wayne.

\- You never liked this kind of music, - said Terry, slowly building his case, - It hit me when Max said the same thing today...and she said that "this music can make you forget who you are for the moment" - you were sitting here in your chair, without movement, and you had the most relaxed face I ever seen, - when Terry mentioned this, Wayne quickly regained his composure to be more serious, but he was listening to McGinnis still, - I can say that if we put this on Curare, it will be the same result.

\- Let's. Try it, - she quickly nodded, taking headphones on herself. Terry played the same track for two minutes, and when he ended it, Curare said this, - ...I tried. To keep my thoughts. Together. And failed. I really liked it. And there were nothing. Of my thoughts. When she. Started to sing.

\- Three people, who do not like this genre or indifferent to it have the same reaction, which is unnatural, - said Terry, looking over Wayne and Curare, - No matter how good this music is, it couldn't have such effect, especially on mister Wayne, - Terry took a pause before he could realize and said something, that finally formed inside his thought process, - ...I think the singer is Silver Banshee.

\- It makes sense - Banshee possesses the ability to control sound with her voice, - nodded Wayne, crossing his palms together, - And as I can recall my condition before and after listening to this track...it only proves your point. The only one person who understands the sounds on the same level is Shriek, and he is behind the bars in Arkham...who is the main singer? - Wayne turned towards the Batcomputer, establishing connections to multiple servers.

\- Aileen Durant, - responded Terry, approaching the Batcomputer along with the Curare.

\- Give me a moment, - said Wayne, quickly typing. He was using his connections and data from Batcomputer to dig under Aileen, trying to figure out her connections to the first Silver Banshee. It wasn't, however, "a moment" - Wayne spent a whole hour of digging around in various places. Inque and Max came together, and as Terry signaled them to be quiet, they exchanged one's eyes with a confused expression. After a long while Wayne sighed, rubbing his nosebridge, - It it true - she is Aileen McDougal, daughter of Siobhan McDougal, the original Silver Banshee. She covered her tracks and origins pretty good, but not good enough, - Wayne opened several files, containing a large variety of information, - The McDougal clan owned a large island near Ireland for generations, but it was sold to Ireland for a large sum of money. The mansion that was stood there for several centuries is replaced by ecological hydro power stations, and beside the Aileen I can't find anyone of McDougal clan.

\- I guess we can't find how she is connected to her mother and became a new Silver Banshee in the Internet?

\- We can't...but that's why we do detective work on site, - grinned Wayne, turning in his chair to face everyone, - Terry, you will study Aileen today, if you can carefully get into contact with her - try to. Inque, you will work with Sidonia, Curare - you will be paired with Max, - as Curare glanced at her, and Max nervously gulped - she remembered that episode in bathroom when Curare was on a rampage, - I will instruct you further later when you will enter patrol. And also today will be a flight-test of your new vehicles, - Wayne pointed towards something that was under a big tarpaulin.

\- I am still demanding secondary Batmobile...Or will it be Inque-mobile? - Inque theatrically rubbed her chin in thoughtful manner before letting out a laugh and going towards the new vehicles.

\- If you. Say. Curare-mobile. I will. Slice you. For hours.

\- You said it, not me...should I take a peek or let it surprise me?...no, I can't resist, - Inque quickly threw her arms under the tarpaulin and threw it away, revealing a new vehicles. While it wasn't a Batmobile, it was something between aerobike and Batmobile - two black sleek aerobikes with low profile with completely closed-off cockpit part, which was formed from black glass-like material. Inque tried to get inside one, but she just smashed herself on the cockpit glass and formed on top of it in sitting position, - OK, it's air-tight, - she knocked on the black glass two times while slightly grinning, - What about specs?

\- Consider those a downgraded version of Batmobile, - said Wayne, slowly approaching Curare and Inque, - It's faster than any aerobike, armored to the point it can withstand a lot of fire from slug-throwers or laser rifles...armed with XM-501 Gatling gun with rubber bullets for crowd control, EMP rocket launchers, camouflage systems, sensors that are worse than on a Batmobile, but they still are here...you will get the specs quickly. And now the most important part, - Wayne put his palms over his cane, looking at Inque and Curare, - While they can be opened and operated via Batsuit and my voice activation, they also respond to you. For Curare, it takes a blood sample to open one, we will do something better in the meantime...for Inque - it's a chemical compound verification.

\- Smart, - nodded Inque, - So, I guess this one is mine?

\- It's actually Curare's one.

\- ...damn it, - Inque sighed, slithering to her own..., - ...wait, so this make them...Batbikes?

\- Pretty much.

\- ...and they can have passengers? - Inque pressed her tentacle to the panel, opening protective shell of her Batbike and looking inside, - ...one passenger at most.

\- Those bikes are designed to make your travels around Gotham easier and efficient, and as a means of a quick getaway, but they won't last long in a major confrontation.

\- And consider how crazy this city is, this happens a lot, - Inque nodded to herself and lazily stretched to her sides, - So, boss...you seems like you have something to say, - She glanced at Wayne with a bit of challenging glare in her eyes, but it was mostly curiosity.

\- Our investigations are coming slow, slower than I would want it, - Wayne frowned, looking at everyone, - And too many things happen at the same time for even our small team to handle. We need to make some powerful allies, re-establish connections and convince the right people to our cause.

\- It's that bad, isn't it? - asked Terry very seriously. Everyone got the same question by the look on their faces - except for Curare's one, but her eyes betrayed her this time.

\- If we can trust my experience, something much bigger plays in the shadows, - he nodded, seeing how everyone tensed up, - And that is why we need to focus to get to the bottom of this.

\- Think Justice League will help us?

\- If they can...I will put everything in motion to prepare for the worst possible outcome, considering the possible scale of this threat we are facing, but you can already start to prepare for trips all over the world. For now, let's focus on our current tasks.

* * *

\- So, if she is wired, how can I make a contact with her? - asked Terry, looking at the penthouse where "Screaming Veil" were located. They didn't buy the penthouse, they rather rent it for a short while, but Aileen was on the balcony, looking over the city. Terry could see her clearly without costume now, and resemblance to Silver Banshee was obvious - same height, same cut hair (but blond one), and Batcomputer confirmed that there were similarities in facial structure. Despite how young she looked, she was a bit older than McGinnis, and there was something in her blue eyes that made her even older. She wore a simple pair of jeans and turtleneck black sweater, with a small skull amulet on a silver chain on her neck.

\- Curare said, that while the Spine of the Sinner has the ability to be wired, but it mostly comes from connection to her optic nerves, - said Wayne, working on his side, - And it's also connected to auditory nerve, having no other means of any tracking devices other than beacons.

\- Why? - asked Terry, looking around to spot something unusual.

\- Easier to hide. The Spine itself couldn't get past the border without large bribes and connections, and if something goes wrong, the connections to her eyes and ears are also designed to...stimulate her behavior in needed way.

\- I can't spot anyone tracking her - nothing on thermals or EM's, except for small security, - said Batman, completing the scan of the area from the Batmobile, - Think they so confident they decided to let her alone?

\- They think she won't rebel against them if they let her live her life...until they need Banshee again. She probably gets some benefits out of it to keep her sanity stabilized.

\- But that's just offering a pillow to someone, who is chained to the rock, - frowned Terry, looking over Aileen, - So how does one make a contact with someone who is being wired?

\- ...try to make her notice you, and improvise.

\- Just what I wanted.

As Batman dropped down, he turned his optical camo on and glided towards the penthouse. Aileen was standing on the balcony and she was observing the night-time Gotham, feeling the air in her hair. She rose her head up a little when Batman sticked to the wall above Aileen, with still active optical camo. Aileen sighed, placing her elbows on the railing:

\- They won't hear our conversation, I still in control of myself...but I can't turn to you, and this conversation won't last long - I need to act natural, - she sighed again, looking to the side of the abyss of open space under her, filled with aerocars and automated trucks, - I suppose you know already, who I am.

\- The daughter of Silver Banshee, - Terry narrowed his eyes, speaking in a whisper, - How?

\- ...all I can say is that the power of my mother is not with me forever, - she responded after a pause, - Her powers and her soul are contained within an artifact, which could be used to make someone a new Silver Banshee...that would be me, - Aileen changed her pose a little, now looking at the stars, - But there is a group of magicians that want to force my mother's power to be transferable to someone else, and they will receive an artifact as a transaction in just a few days. I will be forced to protect the deal, and after that I will just disappear, - she leaned over the railing, closing her eyes for a moment, - It all happened when I got kidnapped by...someone. They never tell names, not even nicknames, and they were well sure about my abilities, so they kept me under drugs until they..., - she shuddered wholly and slowly hugged her own shoulders, - ...until they planted that...thing onto me. They wanted me to transfer the power to another person, and it did not worked - my mother was...displeased, to say the least, but she is weak, and so they started to use me, - Aileen got a hold on herself and stopped shivering, wiping a small tear from her eye, - Damn it, they will register this...look, they want to get rid of me and learn how to bound this power to another woman - because man can't become a Banshee - so those fu...idiots made a deal with those magicians - they got the artifact and me, and in return they will made a Banshee for this...group, to serve their will for the next five or ten years. Of course when they find a way to force the power of my mother to another woman, I will be dead, if I fail another mission - I will be dead, if I won't kill you or whoever is on your team...well, you can guess, - she turned towards the exit and looked right where Batman was. Aileen was not just tired - she was hopeless, desperate...broken. She closed her eyes, slowly opening the door and keeping it open long enough for Batman to get inside, - Tell me...there is no hope for me, right?...you can speak freely here - I check for bugs every night, and I send my band downstairs.

\- There is always hope. And it's not just words - we identified the device. Our...specialist is looking into it.

\- ...the artifact is still a problem - the magicians were allowed to study it for a while before buying, - Aileen walked into the shower room and left the door slightly opened, slowly taking her clothes off. Seeing where this advanced, Batman stayed near the door, pressing himself to the wall, - You need to get the artifact out of their hands.

\- How does it look like?

\- A scythe, black blade, white grip, very elegant, - Batman heard Aileen opening the water taps to fill her bath, - But you better not touch it, my mother is already pissed off about whole situation.

\- Got it. Anything else?

\- Because we will fight, you need something to protect yourself - I can not steal souls or anything like that, my mother and I restrict my powers together...but you won't be able to fight with me one-on-one...because I will be forced to seriously fight with you, if you show up on the transaction...

\- I will, - said Batman, slightly nodding to himself.

\- Do you know the location?

\- I have a lead.

\- Place a tracking beacon into my clothes, several even, just in case...and now I got some questions, could you answer them?

\- You get three questions, except for this one.

\- Magical numbers, - Aileen sighed, touching the water and turning water taps off, slowly getting inside the bath, - You are not the same Batman, are you?

\- No, I am a new one...two left.

\- Will you kill me if nothing will work? - she said, looking at the opened door with one eye.

\- ...I will try to make everything work, - said Batman, turning his head towards the door inside the bath, - Or I will think on the spot when you will scream at me. One question left.

\- ...I will hold this one, in case everything will have a happy ending, - she sighed, closing her eyes, - Now you can try to disappear, because I know you are already moving away. Are you placing the tracking beacons?

\- I already did when we entered the house.

\- ...you are Batman.

* * *

When table smashed against the wall, Sidonia was rolling to the side with her sword out of the scabbard. Inque was nearby, but she was pressed by lasers coming to her direction, so she had to slither inside the ventilation duct. They were fighting near industrial zone, repelling a heist on warehouses with a local security forces, waiting for GCPD to come.

\- Hey, Sidi, their laser rifles are overheating, but not enough, - said Inque, making her way back to the warehouse to get herself a better position, - Can you...

\- I am doing my best! - she yelled in response, throwing grenade towards the thugs. As grenade exploded, it send rubber shrapnel everywhere, hitting nearly every thug in a group...except the one inside the exoskeleton. He run towards Sidonia, firing slugs from little autocannons in his arms, but Sidonia deployed a shield from her arm, covering her helmet and taking her stance to face her left side to exoskeleton.

\- Oh, you wanna fight?! - thug inside the exoskeleton started to laugh, - I am gonna crush all your freaking bones!

\- Inque, do something now! - as Sidonia blocked the strike with her shield, she pressed her sword right inside the left arm of the thug, activating the electrical discharge. The thug inside exoskeleton yelled, but he quickly kicked Sidonia right in her kneecap and let go of her shield, punching right into her helmet. When she fell down, Sidonia tried to roll out quickly, but thug managed to step right onto her arm, slowly pressing his weight against it - wasn't Sidonia wearing the exoskeleton herself, this fight would be over much sooner.

\- Your slimey friend isn't anywhere, - the thug took out Sidonia's sword from his suit with one hand and pressed it against Sidonia's neck...but nothing was happening. Suddenly the visor turned off, as other systems inside the suit, - What the...

\- Actually, I was there after electrical discharge, - suddenly said Inque, slithering from the inside of the suit. With careful and mocking movements, she released Sidonia's sword from the grip, finger by finger...but suddenly she moved closer to the thug inside the exosuit, narrowing her eyes to "Bat-glare", - Now...two options. I closed off your suit so it would take a lot of time to get you out - one guy was there for two days, hearing constant drilling, with little oxygen coming in...or I can get you out of the suit, and maybe I won't break anything if you talk, - she carefully helped Sidonia to stand up, returning back to the thug, - Five seconds to decide. One...

\- OK, get me out, you won! Get me out!

\- Fine, - sighed Inque. Suddenly something clicked inside the suit, and it finally opened. The thug was really happy about his release until Inque get a hold on him with her tentacle arm. As Sidonia watched, small parts of Inque left the exosuit and returned back to her mass, - Now...you are new to the city, right?

\- R-right, we had some jobs at Central City, - gulped thug, trying to hold onto Inque's tentacle around his neck, but his hands were sucked in suddenly, - Crap!

\- Keep talking, or bye-bye fingers, - she narrowed her eyes even more.

\- W-we received a word that black market got a hold on weapons, and after one job we moved here. They got lots of stuff, legit one, and this is serious operation.

\- How many groups moved to Gotham?

\- M-many? - thug gulped, feeling that something was slowly pushing against his fingers inside Inque's mass, - L-look, I don't know how many, but I know they came nor even from other states, there were some guys from other countries! Everyone wants to get a hold on that stuff. W-we wanted to go big and leave, because other's are working at Lower Gotham, rarely coming up to Mid-Gotham.

\- What about other gangs?

\- T's and Jokerz are pressed a lot, they gathering their numbers after gang war and massive raid, the U's have taken some large portions of the city, they are now in fight with Maroni.

\- ...anything else to add?

\- N-nothing!

\- Fine, - sighed Inque, releasing the thug from her grip...but not before she got a hold on his middle finger on his left hand. With one quick move, she broke all three phalanges.

\- Y-you said you will think about it! - yelped thug, falling on the ground and holding his hand.

\- And I thought I would do only this, - she leaned in dangerously, lowering her tone, - You want more?

\- ...n-no, - he replied, trying not to look at Inque.

\- Consider this mercy, - Inque waved to coming GCPD aerocars.

After a short while Inque and Sidonia made their report about the robbers, with Inque pointing out important things that Gordon should know. With all thugs loaded up with their gear, Inque and Sidonia left the industrial area and landed on top of some building for a quick rest and area scan. When Inque got out for fresh air, she noticed that Sidonia was not talkative as before, and it wasn't about the damage to her exoskeleton.

\- ...you know, in moments like this Batman usually asks me about what is going on, - she turned towards Sidonia, who raised her head to face Inque, - And maybe I don't see your face, I can still see your pose and attitude.

\- ...you can read people like this?

\- I am a woman of many talents...and flaws, - Inque sighed with slight irritation, moving to her aerobike and taking a sit on it, - And probably I have flaws over my talents...but still, - she turned her eyes towards Sidonia's helmet, - Are we going to talk? Because talking can, surprisingly, solve many things.

\- ...I was working with Curare before, and she was serious about what she was doing...not a person to talk about, but you like to talk, just like Batman, - Sidonia sighed, trying to repair her arm by herself, - And you are more...brutal.

\- One finger is not a tragedy...and you are also brutal, - Inque slithered towards Sidonia, who suddenly tensed up, - Relax, I am going to help you for once.

\- You have experience in repairing exoskeletons? - asked Sidonia with a clear skepticism in her tone.

\- I have experience in breaking one, so you better guide me, - Inque walked behind Sidonia, looking at damaged left arm.

\- Fine...try to remove bolts of protective plates first, and later remove the said plates.

\- Got it, - Inque took all instruments in her arm, picking the right one and starting to work on bolts, that were holding the plates to the carcass, - So...you are brutal too. You threw that grenade and some of those thugs got shrapnels to their eyes and lower parts.

\- ...really? - Sidonia turned her helmet in order to face Inque.

\- Yup, - Inque slowly removed the plates, looking at damaged carcass, -...before I continue, it looks really bad.

\- Can you free my arm? You have to remove other plates around the area that was damaged...so...you can't avoid this.

\- You can't, - said Inque seriously, while she was slowly removing bolts and plates around Sidonia's arm, - Even the original Batman made mistakes in his lifetime, and we are making more because we are not The Batman...but that's what you have to accept, learn and move on when you are one of them, - she pointed to her head, which was shaped in her "Bat-Inque" form, - But because no one died and because this grenade was designed to be used as a non-lethal weapons, we don't have to worry about it.

\- But you are still doing it to criminals...as Curare. You do not kill, but sure you maybe overdoing it, - said Sidonia, still looking at Inque.

\- ...maybe we are overdoing it, - Inque paused, looking at broken parts with narrowed eyes, choosing to use plasma blowtorch for this job, - Maybe this is too much, but our rage is under control. But it is your rage I am worried about.

\- What do you mean?

\- A woman forced herself inside this suit and live very complicated and dangerous life, and she never even swears? - she sighed and she shook her head, still working around with blowtorch, - I don't know, what is your story, but if you will keep that rage inside, you will be...consumed by it.

\- So breaking bones in criminals is your way to fight stress?

\- It feels good, and I never overdoing it, - Inque made her eyes to look cartoonishly happy before she continued seriously, - But it's just one of the many ways to deal with stress. When was the last time you took rest and slept more than six hours?

\- ...probably several weeks ago, - sighed Sidonia, lowering her shoulders in defeat, - And...you are right, I am under constant stress, sometimes I...I just can't keep my thoughts together, and sometimes I feel like..like I want to go beyond my own limits.

\- I know someone who is obsessed with vengeance, - Inque finally helped Sidonia to remove her arm from the exoskeleton, carefully dropping parts nearby, - And I know someone who managed to let it go, despite what he faced.

\- ...both of them, right?

\- Exactly, - nodded Inque, crossing her arms on her chest, - So, since I saved you and because I want to be a bad girl now and then, you owe me your story. Not right now, if you want, but it better be before the raid.

\- Are you always that...dominant? - sighed Sidonia under her helmet.

\- Batman got used to it, - Inque shrugged her shoulders, letting out a small laugh.

\- ...fine, - said Sidonia after a long pause, looking at the night-time Gotham, - But it will be...in bare outlines, so to speak.

\- Better than nothing, - nodded Inque.

\- Just several months ago I was like any regular woman out there - career, family, hobbies, good times, bad accidents...and this simple life was more than enough for me, - she turned her helmet to look at Inque, who was listening closely, - I guess most of us start like this.

\- Most, - responded Inque in a more serious and quite tone.

\- But not you.

\- Let's just say I got it harder than anyone I know...but no complaining here, I moved on...recently.

\- I see, - nodded Sidonia, continuing her story, - But back to myself...I had a very interesting job and hobby, and sometime ago I had...a confrontation with the reality of this world.

\- Someone appeared from the underground, - guessed Inque.

\- ...yes, someone, - sighed Sidonia, turning away to face the Gotham again, - They wanted something we could not provide in legal ways, and first came offerings of money. When this did not work out as they wanted, threats were their next step to get what they wanted, - Sidonia clenched her fists, taking her time to come down with everything that she was bringing up in herself, - ...police helped us for some time, and everyone were so naively thinking about safety, how this was over...in fact, when it hit us, we already forgot about those people from the underground...

\- They were waiting for opportunity, and since you were dealing with the police, they were waiting for them to stop protecting you, - continued Inque, with Sidonia turning her helmet again to face Inque, - You, and whoever was with you...they were shocked and not prepared for this.

\- Y-yes, - nodded Sidonia with a clear stutter in her trembling voice, - We were not ready...the police couldn't find those who did...who did things to us, and I decided to take it into my own hands.

\- Do you want to kill them? - asked Inque in a straightforward manner.

\- ...no, I want them to rot forever...there was a movie, a very old one, and one of the villains said that death is a liberation. I don't want to give them such honor to be liberated from their possible suffering, - Sidonia slowly rose up, sighing under her helmet and going towards her aerobike, - Let's call this a night, Inque.

\- ...Sidi, - she said suddenly. Sidonia stopped in her tracks and turned her helmet to the side to face Inque, - You need to let go of this...it's hard, I can tell that myself, but you are burning out, slowly...take your time and try to relax, because if you snap right in the middle of the mission...

\- I know, - Sidonia placed her arm in the storage area of her aerobike, nodding to Inque, - And...I will. Will it be fine if I will take a break before raid?

\- It will be the best thing to do, actually.

\- It will be...see you next time, - Sidonia waved and closed the protective shell of aerobike, slowly rising up and moving upwards to the upper levels of Gotham.

\- Was it enough, boss? - asked Inque, contacting Wayne directly and watching at Sidonia's aerobike.

\- More than enough. With your information I was finally able to piece her story together...her name is Hilda Jaeger, she has many companies in her pocket, including several for weapon and armor production.

\- Figures.

\- ...now this is interesting. She is married to a holder of archaeological society that helps to gather and preserve ancient artifacts, granting them public access. Several months ago he was put into a coma with heavy injuries, and after that Hilda Jaeger started to travel around the world - she visited city, checked out, moved to register to another city, and several days Sidonia appeared after her...that's interesting.

\- What is it?

\- The injuries her husband received were done during the heist, in which many antiques were stolen, including the artifact of Silver Banshee...Batman got the information about it from her daughter.

\- So she had the artifact and wouldn't hand it over to...someone, and said "someone" put her husband into a hospital for heck knows how long, - Inque got onto her own aerobike, starting the engine, - And now she wants to get to the bottom of it.

\- She needs some...guidance, and probably you need to keep an eye on her during the raid.

\- I keep my eyes on everyone, starting from myself.

\- Good, keep it that way...rest for now, we need everyone in a good shape.

\- On it, boss. Before I go I will return this beauty back, - sighed Inque, going towards the Batcave.

* * *

The very next night, when everyone in the team had their time for resting and preparing, Terry suddenly visited Inque in "Chillnight". She was seriously surprised, because he was looking...bad:

\- Can I die here for a second? - Terry moaned and threw himself into the lounge where Inque was resting.

\- Help yourself, but do you need a Lazarus Pit afterwards? - she asked pretty sincerely, despite her playful tone. Terry even opened his eyes in surprise, and Inque just continued casually, - I am studying and catching up things, don't make those "did-you-hacked-Batcomputer-again?" eyes.

\- Nah, I can manage it, I just need something...loud. And probably you talking about something-something.

\- Have you ever felt that tired after our fights? - Inque looked at Terry with a serious concern.

\- ...close enough, - he sighed, closing his eyes for a while.

\- It's about your private life, isn't it?

\- Yup.

\- Want to talk about it?

\- ...I dunno, - he sighed again deeply, - Should I?

\- Well, who can understand you if not the person who tried to kill you? Several times even, - Inque smiled seductively and pushed Terry into his shoulder slightly, - Come on, if you don't want to talk about it, we can talk about something else, but we better talk - I love doing it.

\- Especially with me, - smirked Terry, opening one eye and glancing at Inque.

\- Especially with you, - she confirmed that with another seductive smile of hers, waiting for Terry to start the conversation.

\- ...can you combine your private life with other things?

\- There wasn't such thing as "private life" before, - Inque lowered her tone, turning away from Terry to gaze upon the dance floor beneath VIP lounge, - There were only contracts, survival from mutagen dose to another and seeking a way to wash my money clean to be able to transfer them to Deanna. There...wasn't much else to do - I could go anywhere, but it did not matter since I lived in a very...small world, - Inque returned her eyes to Terry with a serious and...appreciated look on her face, - But you gave me a chance to see more, despite pretty rough start, - she and Terry chuckled a bit, since now it was a topic they could both laugh at. Inque closed the distance between both of them and continued in lowered tone, - And I finally saw the bigger world around me. For only that I should help you with everything mature woman can help.

\- You just like pointing out that you are a "mature woman", do you?

\- Old habits die hard, - Inque smiled and tousled Terry's hair playfully, - Let me guess...it's about your girlfriend that decided to return.

\- Yeah, - Terry sighed and leaned back on the couch, looking into the ceiling, - She wants to meet with me the same day our raid will be, and I told her that I will work for this day.

\- And she went hard on you, - nodded Inque.

\- ...harder than usual, considering that my "work" was the reason we broke up in a first place, - Terry now turned to see Inque, considering his next words, - You said that we live in the shadows, that this life is not for everyone to even see.

\- And this is correct...at least from my perspective, - answered Inque, glancing at Terry, - This...life of ours is hard. Some people, like Curare, were born for it, some other people, like you, me and old geezer, were dragged down to it...and not just dragged - we decided to stay. For revenge, for making up for past...for desperation, - Inque made a pause, looking at the dance floor, - I was thinking a lot about it, and our life is like a habit - even your old man couldn't stop being himself...that punch to the face was actually hard one, - Inque rubbed her cheek, remembering her battle with Wayne, and turned to face McGinnis, - This is not for everyone, but even if you are staying in this world, you can decide if you want to take someone in. I am showing Deanna enough to keep her safe from it, so she wouldn't be dragged down as both of us.

\- ...guess you are right, but...

\- But you want a hope for normal life, do you? - she interrupted Terry, who was caught off-guard with how accurate Inque was talking, - You want to think that you will not end up as your old man, but you can't quit - it's a part of you now, - seeing how Terry fell silent, Inque continued in a softer tone, - We can understand each other because we both live in the same world, but her world is small, yours is not fitting into it, no matter how hard you try. You can bring it to her, but...will it be worth it? She may probably understand it, on the other hand, and maybe it will be the right thing to do. In the end...

\- It's my choice, - sighed Terry.

\- Exactly, - nodded Inque.

\- ...I still can't get used to you being on a helpful side, by the way. It's...weird, after all we put each other through.

\- Well, it's a nice change of things to not inflict pain and misery on each other, don't you agree? - she put her left hand on Terry's left shoulder in a casual motion, - Because that's what we did...Terry.

\- You still have trouble saying my name? - smirked McGinnis.

\- Batman more suits you, - she smiled again, - So, back to the topic...while we did put each other through nasty encounters, I think we managed to put this aside...or?...

\- No, we did it, - Terry nodded in agreement to Inque's words, - Because I don't have a batarang on me right now.

\- Liar, you always have one, you just don't put your hands in a way to be able to reach it, - Inque and Terry let out a short laugh, and then she continued, - ...you know, this is so much better than chasing one another.

\- Better late than never, - Terry smirked, shaking his head, - So, what happens next?

\- Nothing major, - Inque shrugged her shoulders...with a very sly smile on her face and a spark in her eyes, - Bu-u-u-u-ut I got my hands on this, - Inque pressed a button on her remote to reveal a giant screen, that came down from the ceiling, - ...yeah, I payed a lot not only for the screen, but for the mechanism also...I couldn't resist! This is so...how you call it, schway?

\- Yeah, schway, - Terry laughed, looking at the giant screen coming down from the ceiling, - Now this is truly your lair.

\- No, it's not lair, it's...damn it, it's not a cave either, - Inque rubbed her chin, trying to came up with a right words when she suddenly widened her eyes and snapped victoriously, - It's the Inque Lounge, and this is Inque-Computer!

\- And where is the Inque-mobile?

\- In development, sarcastic one, - Inque slightly tapped Terry on his head with a chuckle, - But in all seriousness, I payed a subscription to one private service for a year, and my eyes picked...this movie, - she used her remote to open the menu and select something that Terry recognized after a while.

\- ...heard about this one. It's done in a first-person perspective?

\- Yup, and I got myself pretty neat surround system, - Inque quickly got out from her lounge, turning it towards the large screen and activating the sound system that came from ceiling, walls and even from the floor, - Couldn't resist, - she explained, throwing herself behind the bar and looking around it for something, - What do you want?

\- Water or soda, I still have to drive home.

\- Right, - soon enough Inque dropped on the couch, giving Terry a whole bunch of soda cans, - Don't know what's your favorite, but let's find this together, while we still have some time.

* * *

\- The exosuit was upgraded and calibrated, and while it still provides you benefits, it came with a cost of the time you can use the exosuit, - Wayne was working on the inner circuits of the exosuit with special goggles on, - It still puts a lot of stress on your heart, but the Batsuit should help you to negate this effect...for less than an hour.

\- Less than hour? - asked Terry sceptically.

\- I took the worst case scenario for precaution, and that is why you will have to limit the usage of this suit with me constantly monitoring your health condition, - Wayne carefully placed the circuit inside the suit and raised his goggles, looking straight at Terry, - It should help you to get on the same level with Banshee.

\- Boss, remember what happened the last time we...you used that? - Inque casually stretched herself to look around the suit from various angles, - While it packs a punch, it's not that...armored to fight me, and Banshee is even more powerful.

\- I was upgrading this suit with your reappearance, and while it was made out of good alloys, I was able to increase it's durability. It should now be able to take a punch from Superman.

\- One? - asked Inque, looking down from her height at Wayne.

\- Maybe two, - answered Wayne, still working with the innards of the exosuit.

\- That's reassuring, - sighed Terry, looking at the exosuit, - What else?

\- Curare was able to find a...specialist that provided us a schematics of the device that controls Banshee, but we can't perform the removal of this device right on the spot, because it must be done fast and with precision, - Wayne rose up and smirked a little, - That is why I asked an old friend for a help, - Wayne looked at his wristwatch and nodded to himself, going towards the Batcomputer and opening the door to the cave, - He could be late, but considering his age it's not...

\- ...surprise!

Inque was so spooked that she jumped towards the ceiling and hold onto stalactites with her many tentacles. Curare tried to throw a batarang she was holding in her hands, and McGinnis simply fell down on the cave floor. The man just suddenly appeared with a bolts of yellow lightning around him, and this man was wearing red armored suit with a same yellow lightning on his chest. The man took off his mask and revealed himself to be just a bit younger than Bruce, with short gray hair.

\- Hey, kids, - Terry couldn't even saw how this man managed to catch Curare's batarang, - Don't throw sharpy things on people, - he laughed a bit and looked towards Wayne, giving a whistle and carefully throwing batarang back to Curare in an arc, - Wow, Bruce, you look just a bit worse than twenty years ago, - the man walked towards Wayne, extending his hand, and to everyone's surprise Wayne shook it, - Gonna introduce me to kids?

\- This is Wally West, The Flash.

\- Or "fastest man alive", but probably not as fast as before, - Flash smiled, stretching to the sides, - So, we have...new Batman, looks like Grayson by the way...we have creepy slime lady in the ceiling...

\- It's Inque, - she responded with irritation, slowly dropping down and shaping herself into a human form, crossing her arms on her chest.

\- Right, creepy lady Inque, and we have an Arabian dancer, - from that commentary Curare just rolled her eyes, - What's with the neck device?

\- For. Talking.

\- Sounds like you have trouble doing it, - smiled Flash, nodding to Curare, - But you will overcome, just give it a time...So, Bruce, what's the occasion?

\- We need your help to disable this device, - Wayne opened a file with schematics, showing it to Flash, who quickly started to inspect the schematics, - It's attached to a daughter of Silver Banshee.

\- Huh, now this is interesting...much more complicated than Jokers bombs during that time in Las Vegas..., - Flash rubbed his chin, still studying the design, - Can you do the simulation thingy?

\- We can do better, - after some time Wayne activated Batcomputer's holographic projectors, making a full three-dimensional model the "Spine", already attached to a female body with the same proportions as new Banshee.

\- You upgraded the old duster! But why not upgrade the looks? Sentimental?

\- Old-fashioned, - Wayne took out a pair of special gloves, giving them to Flash, who quickly put the gloves on, - We will work with different configurations, and it could take time.

\- Not worry about it if you have a stock of snaks...you have, do you?

\- I always prepared, - Wayne smirked again, nodding to Flash, - We don't have much time, so let's start now.

* * *

 **Yup. Flash. I really liked him in Justice League show, along with other JL members.**

 **As I said, the very next chapter will probably resolve this ark, but I still need to think about it. So, again, it will take some time.**

 **But hey, we will have some action going on.**


	9. Shadows and Illusions

**Yeah, suddenly a return after a LONG months of doing nothing.**

 **Without any further delay, enjoy. Major updates will be at the end of the chapter.**

* * *

\- Gordon made sure, that everyone in the GCPD got the information that there will be no raids the day the auction will be held, - said Wayne, sitting in his chair with everyone surrounding him - Inque, Terry, Curare, Max and Flash with Sidonia. The latter was brought under special conditions, and everyone were wearing their suits to keep the secret identities - Wayne was wearing Grey Ghost suit, while Max was in one of the variations of Batgirls costumes, with full mask and voice modulator, - That was done to ensure that the auction will be in the same place with the same expected security forces. But we still have a backup - Gordon managed to find several trusted people that will be patrolling the area nearby.

\- Just like with the raid on trucks, - nodded Terry.

\- Yes, - continued Wayne, - While it won't be enough to help us inside, the GCPD will close the perimeter, which will be important in our operation.

\- It's always nice having a prep-time...and you doing all the prep things, - Flash smirked, looking at the Batcomputer's screen, - I missed that, to be honest, but I guess you will put me on the bench?

\- Slow down, - Wayne raised his hand, still working on the Batcomputer.

\- He likes to say that, - explained Flash to Terry, lowering his voice.

\- We have to rely on Inque, Sidonia and Curare for the first part of operation. First of all, you need to get inside and disable all vehicles in the area and knock down as many thugs as you can before moving to the auction, - Wayne started the briefing, showing everyone the map where auction was supposed to be held, - Since you are more than capable to operate alone, you better move from different directions towards the main auction house...which you have to find by interrogating thugs, since Gordon doesn't know the exact location, only the area.

\- Well, I got a reputation on the streets, and Curare's robot voice scares me sometimes...Sidonia could probably do the same, - said Inque, looking at the map, - ...and this is a port area. Great, more water in my life.

\- You will be without Batman's help until Banshee emerges to fight, - Wayne continued the briefing, glancing at Terry, - Your mission is to lure out Banshee as far away as possible from three of them, preferably to this side of the port area to localize the damage. We will position Flash here, as close as possible, - Wayne pointed towards the area, where were some shopping centers, - You have to apprehend Banshee or wear her down, but you have to call Flash before they initiate the self-destruct sequence.

\- The explosion. Will kill everyone. In a. Twenty meter. Radius, - Curare took the word, coming forward to open the files of schematics, - But. It needs time. To initiate. Chemical. Reaction.

\- How much time are we talking about?

\- From twenty. To. Sixty. Seconds. Depends. On the. Explosive. And. Detonator.

\- We can't just disable the connection between this device and whatever it is connected to? - asked Terry.

\- No. While you were in Banshee's apartment, I noticed that there was a traffic coming from this device towards the satellite, - Wayne opened yet another file, - I measured the delay between satellite and the "Spine"...it's two to ten seconds.

\- So we can shut the connection between this device and satellite, it give us two, ten seconds tops, and then it activates the self-destruct sequence, which is twenty seconds, - said Flash, rubbing his chin, - Twenty two seconds, thirty tops.

\- And your record right now is?..., - asked Inque skeptically.

\- Thirty seven seconds, - sighed Flash along with everyone in the Batcave, except for Wayne, - Considering everything, I think I need to make it down to fifteen seconds.

\- We don't have much time left, since the mission is starting tonight, - Wayne rubbed his nosebridge before continuing, - Get some rest and have a sleep before the mission.

\- Can I get some personal space? I need to prepare my exosuit, - asked Sidonia, who was in her under-armor garment, with helmet still on her head.

\- You can occupy that area, - Wayne pointed towards the part of the cave where his workbench was. Sidonia nodded and walked to it silently, getting all her equipment to start assembling her armor.

\- She is quite today, - Inque narrowed her eyes in her "Bat-Inque" form, glancing at Terry, - You OK?

\- Yeah, - he sighed, standing right in front of his exosuit, which was opened up, - Wish I had that when I was fighting...other things.

\- Well, you managed to fight me without this thing and survive, - Inque stood right next to Terry, looking at the exosuit closely, - And against others...you do remember that time when your own Batsuit went rogue and you still managed to beat it?

\- You are catching up quick, - smirked Batman, looking at Inque.

\- I know, - she carefully placed her hand over Batman's shoulder, lowering her voice, - Maybe you hearing that all the time from Max, but be careful.

\- I will, - Terry nodded to Inque seriously, - Not the first time I go against a metahuman.

\- That will be the first time for me to see it from your side, - Inque left Terry, and seeing the opportunity Flash appeared right on her spot just a second later, crossing his arms on his chest and winking to McGinnis.

\- What? - asked Terry from Flash, raising his eyebrows.

\- Just observing, kiddo, so you can relax and anticipate my jokes later.

\- I like jokes...the good ones, - Terry smirked at Flash's words, - I never knew you were still there...what made you retire?

\- Well, not retired, I am still working with CCPD, but let's just say that lightning met his fire, - Flash winked again, turning to the exosuit, - Get some sleep, kid. I know I will - with the life like that you appreciate every moment when you can take a nap...but I guess you know that by now.

Curare received new upgraded version of her suit - while it wasn't technologically advanced as the Batsuit, it provided a protection with some decrease in maneuverability due to it's lightweight components. New utility belt came in handy, storing many devices and items (most of them were just repaired devices Wayne used in his prime), along with the mask that kept everything but eyes opened. Of course her armor was in black, and while she was performing acrobatic moves in it, Wayne was studying her moves closely:

\- Does it restrict you?

\- No. It does. Not, - she said, standing on one arm with her legs stretched to the sides. She carefully rolled away from Wayne and slowly stood up, looking right at him, - Not as. Much. To. Bother.

\- The suit lacks something more important, than gadgets and armor.

\- ...is it. Time?

\- Consider this a test, - Wayne approached Curare and gave her a symbol of flying bat with raised wings, - If you will be able to do everything right...you can become a part of something more, something that League of Shadows should've been, but never will.

\- ...I am. Clinging. To my loyalties. Still, - she took the symbol and after a while put it inside the utility belt, - If I change. My mind. Completely. I will wear it.

\- Be honest. That is the best way to find your own way...and not waste time on illusions of decisions.

For Inque it was quite a trouble to find a way to get her some equipment, - considering her abilities to shapeshift that was limited only by her mass and imagination, she on the one hand could replace many devices...on the other hand, Inque had some issues with radiolink, forced to leave it in some scenarios when she tried to enter through very tight spaces. And, of course, she had to improvise with the handcuffs, sometimes using her own body or something around her. Wayne said, that he will look into the problem, but for now the only thing he came up with was a supply drop on the ground. After a second quick briefing the preparation was over, and everyone got their time to rest and sleep for the big night.

To ensure that nothing will spook the auction, whole team - except for Batman - dropped their vehicles in secure places several blocks from the port area, gliding down to the road and going to the maintenance area. The cars were rumbling above, and aerocars were driving right under the road. They were moving slowly, avoiding security cams and hacking their way through the road, until they arrived at the first vantage point. From there, whole team could see the port area, stretched on the seaside with various ships docked already. Of course it's not the ships they were interested in - rather their interest was in the private warehouse area. From this point Inque, Curare and Sidonia parted ways according to the plan, slowly approaching the port area and warehouses:

\- Remember - you must approach this mission with utmost stealth and cunning, - said Wayne over the radiolink, - Sidonia, this especially goes for you.

\- Will do my best, - she said, dropping down silently - thanks for the noise compensator in her exosuit. While she was not able to activate optical camo, her exosuit compensated it with sensors...and she herself took some advices from Wayne. Watching over the camera that was moving around, Sidonia quickly rolled to the wall, taking out laser cutter and special sensor device to see through it, - The wall is wired, as you said, Ghost. It will take time.

\- Take it slowly, but steadily...Curare.

\- Inside, - she reported, quickly tapping on the button of her neck device in Morse code. The new upgraded device now had a camera for streaming the process from her point of view, and Wayne saw how silently and carefully she was moving around. She found a target soon enough - it was a big thug with a slug accelerator in his hands, that was patrolling the area. Curare rolled towards the thug and hit him right to the back of his knee, while she used her left hand to grab the throat and pressing the knife into Adam's apple with her right hand twisting the weapon just enough break a finger or two. Curare quickly stepped into the shadows, dragging the thug with her and now talking with her device, - Ghost. Go on.

While Curare was performing first interrogation with Wayne helping her with it, Inque was slithering around the area, carefully spotting enemy presence and attaching small tracking devices on the thugs that were hidden inside her mass:

\- This is big, - Inque whispered into her radiolink, hiding in the shadows, - The operation looks serious.

\- It's even more serious than you think, - said Terry, who was just above the pier in Batmobile, using optical camo, - I had to put a lot of processing power to increase the signals from you, something is jamming the area. And judging by how powerful this jamming device is, it's probably military hardware.

\- Reduce the radio contact, - said Wayne immediately, - Inque, you have the expertise, track this jamming device. Sidonia, Curare - continue as planned, wait for my signal. Sending you the location of the warehouse.

Meanwhile Sidonia was busy - after she dealt with the wires, she slowly moved inside and to another wall, quickly scanning it for wires or traps, while using her sensors to detect potential threat. The most useful was a seismic sensor - it allowed her to detect movement in some radius, while she was standing still. Quickly cutting the wall, she got inside the warehouse:

\- I am in, the guards are closing unto the breach, - she whispered into radiolink, moving slowly along the inner warehouse area, avoiding patrolling guards, - ...going to knock one out.

\- ...found it, - whispered Inque, while she was slithering along to find out the jamming device. It was in one of the smaller warehouses, just nearby the auction one, but as she studied the device from inside the went, she reported in frustrating tone, - ...air-tight sealed, can't do it silently.

\- Curare? - asked Wayne on the radiolink.

\- In. Position, - she was on the roof tops of the auction warehouse, placing breaching charge that looked like a cord that was lying in circle position. She silently moved away from the breaching charge, looking over the auction from the window on the roof. As expected, the auction summoned many representatives of Gotham's major players, and even some of them came from distant cities. But most importantly that along with many items that were shown for the audience the scythe was there - black blade, white grip, and the material seems to be slightly moving under the light. But what made Curare stop was the fact that she found some really off-looking characters on the auction - they seemed like normal people, but had very weird tattoos on their necks. They were just standing around, waiting for something, not interested in the auction at all.

\- ...Banshee started to move, - suddenly said Wayne, - Since we can track her, she did not took her Banshee form yet. Curare?

\- The weapon. Not for sale...Sold already, - Curare placed yet another charge on top of the warehouse, returning back to window in order to continue her investigation, - ...military. Hardware. Antiques...splicer injectors...data carriers...books?

\- Can you get me a visual on those books? - said Wayne, leaning towards the monitor of Batcomputer. When Curare turned on the recording device that was strapped on her head, Wayne widened his eyes, - They are from Kahndaq, I recognized the signs and language. Whatever those books are, we have to reclaim them too...Sidonia?

\- In position, knocked the guard out without alert.

\- Inque?

\- I'll deal with the jamming device, just give the word.

\- Curare?

\- Ready.

\- ...Batman?

\- I thought you forgot about me, - Terry smirked, looking at his sensors, - Waiting for the Banshee.

\- Good. Curare, you move first, Sidonia will cover you after the breach. On my mark...three, two, one...mark.

When Curare triggered the explosions and threw flashbang grenades through the window on the roof, she was already outside of the possible firing zone. Sidonia moved in, quickly firing electrical charges at everyone in the warehouse, incapacitating most of the thugs and bidders inside. Curare used the breaching charges as a distraction while she was escaping to the side of the warehouse, quickly cutting a segment of the wall and joining forces with Sidonia. She remembered about "no killing" rule, that's why she has to put her sword inside the special magnetic scabbard and use it as a blunt weapon. Still, the scabbard and Curare's strength managed to break bones along with her hand-to-hand expertise, dispatching thug one after another.

Inque had her fun too. She slithered under the cellar when explosions and action started, cutting through the power cable and pushing it to the side while slithering inside and just messing around with electronics. Of course, the jamming device had a backup battery, but her upgraded mass managed to hold against the electricity long enough for her to destroy the device. When it was done, Inque took her radiolink back inside her mass and started to cause havoc all over the port area, attacking everyone on sight with surprising speed and agility.

\- ...well, at least I know who can change me. They hold out well...maybe too well, - Terry frowned, looking at how Curare, Sidonia and Inque were fighting in the port area, - ...that's how you felt in Justice League?

\- Exactly. Will it stop you?

\- No, it's just...they are better at being Batman, at least right now...and at least two of them.

\- Who are metahumans...speaking of which, Banshee on the move. I will alert the team, and later we can talk about it, but right now you have to focus.

\- Yeah, focus...what's the ETA?

\- Two minutes. She is in a hurry.

The team was ready for her and followed Wayne's plan - Sidonia was securing all the stuff from the auction while Inque and Curare engaged her. Of course they couldn't engage Banshee in close combat, that is why they constantly kept distance by throwing stuff at her. She could take it, but they bought enough time for Batman to drop down from the Batmobile in upgraded exosuit. Using small thrusters to slow the falling speed, Batman landed right in front of the Banshee.

\- ...multiple signatures are closing to your position, and fast. It's not the GCPD, - Wayne was studying the area from his private satellite when he saw several aerocars moving towards the port area, - ETA - three minutes.

\- ...we have another problem, - Inque dodged the sudden fireball, looking at several tattooed men who were chanting something on unknown language, - Sidonia, why you did not secure them?!

\- I did! - she screamed suddenly, when fireball hit her and send into the wall, - Damn it...who knew they could do something like this?

\- We need to secure the scythe before those guys could arrive, - Inque narrowed her eyes, looking at magicians that were constantly throwing spells all over the place while they were moving towards the scythe. Curare tried to threw batarangs, but they were suddenly stuck inside white semi-transparent barrier that was created around the magicians. The projectiles changed the direction towards Curare, and one of them hit hit her at full speed, but she got lucky - it hit the armor plate, forcing her to retreat.

Meanwhile on the outside Batman and Banshee clashed with one another - right after Batman's landing he was attacked by a continuous scream that was pushing Batman towards the water. The exosuit was waterproof and it has smart system to decrease incoming sounds that might leave Batman deaf. Quickly anchoring himself to the concrete with special bolts in legs, Batman patiently waited for Banshee to end the scream - she had to breath at some point. When Banshee stopped, Batman quickly fired a fast capsule that hit Banshee right into her face, quickly spreading a goo-ish substance made from researching Inque's mass that limited her vision and breathing ability. Unbolting himself from the concrete, Batman quickly ran up to Banshee and hit her several times, just like Curare showed him - abdomen, chest, elbow to the ribs, strike to neck from right side with an open palm and final strike to the back of Banshee's head with an elbow. With Banshee briefly stunned, Batman quickly walked from behind and performed a "blood lock" - a technique that supposed to quickly choke someone into unconscious state. Lock her neck with right arm, place right hand on the bicep of left hand, use the left hand to push into nape, choke. Of course Banshee started to panic, she screamed away the substance from her face but couldn't break from the choke - despite how armor was struggling against her grip, it was futile.

Until she remembered that she can fly and she is smaller than Batman in exosuit. Banshee grabbed exosuit tightly and quickly slided right under Batman's legs, throwing him over herself to the ground. When Banshee was released from this sudden counter, she flew several meters up and used her scream to pin down Batman, focusing her scream to be more precise and dangerous, aiming for the head. He got barely enough time to raise his arm and open protective retractable shield - courtesy of Sidonia - in order to survive the scream. The shield was shattering alarmingly fast, but when scream was over again it was still there, barely functional to sustain another attack though. Batman fired a flashbang towards Banshee to get himself some time to move, and then he jumped into the air, grabbing Banshee by her leg and slamming her into the ground. With the next strike he wanted to punch her into the forehead, but she stopped his fist with her own palm, quickly putting her hands around the exosuit's arm. The whole exosuit suddenly started to violently vibrate, the protective shield exploded in the first seconds of this new attack, whole systems gone crazy with alarms. Batman had to retreat - he punched Banshee with his open palm into her throat and quickly made a sidestep to avoid being kicked, taking steps away from her. She was quick to move, and she was strong enough to endure the hits from the exosuit and exchange hits, but she lacked the technique to fight.

\- Remember about your left side, - a message appeared on the visor from Wayne. Since Banshee could possibly hear radiolink, Wayne decided that any message towards Batman must be converted on the satellite into text messages in order to avoid Banshee from overhear communications, - And you do not have much time left.

It was actually true - Terry saw that the numbers on the timer were drastically going down, but Banshee was still fine, she actually got up and backed away to rest too, but there must be something he can do to close the distance again...the idea that came into Batman's head was very dangerous, but there wasn't time for better plan. Getting himself together, he started to run towards Banshee and suddenly activated the jumping thrusters in his legs to close the distance in one leap. Of course she backed away and used her scream in order to stop the exosuit, but that what Batman was hoping Banshee would do - he ejected from the exosuit mid-air, before the scream pushed the exosuit back into the warehouse, and rolled towards the Banshee while throwing two batarangs in succession. The first one hit her throat, and the second one attached to her body, sending powerful electrical discharge. Since the discharge was powerful enough to combat Inque at one point, it was upgraded a little for this fight, and the result was quite effective - Batman got himself just several seconds, since Banshee was struggling to get her hands on the device through her visible pain. Quickly running up towards Banshee, Batman performed yet another lock, just like Wayne taught him - jump, legs forward, lock them around the neck and quickly throw on the ground...and here comes what Curare told him - when on the ground, don't break the lock, keep it around the neck for some time and move to the head. He had to be quick, he had to take her out quickly, without help from anyone - they were busy with the auction itself. Still trying to beat the crap out of Banshee, Batman took a hit to his face, which made him flew several meters away from her. The suit's helmet was damaged despite the fact that it took one hit, but it couldn't take too much from Banshee, who slowly got up, breathing heavily and looking tiredly at Batman.

But suddenly something changed. Banshee dropped onto her knees and dropped to the side, shaking violently with her mouth largely open from silent scream. Batman quickly approached her, trying to hold Banshee in place when radiolink beeped:

\- Batman, the magicians did something to the scythe and teleported it. Flash is on his way.

\- Why? She seems...oh God, - Terry widened his eyes when he saw that Banshee slowly - and probably forcibly - was changing into a human. She started slowly to scream with strangely distorted voice, shaking more and more. Flash appeared quickly with instruments ready.

\- Sedate first, - Flash quickly used an autoinjector to put Banshee into sleep. He quickly put Banshee on her stomach, covering her exposed body with some blanket he brought, and he started to operate.

Never in his life Terry witnessed such things - Flash was operating at such speed that he couldn't see his hands moving at all - they were just one blur. From perspective of Flash, the flow of time around him was so slow, that it could feel like it wasn't moving at all. But the truth was that time was moving - constantly watching the timer on his wrist, Flash knew that he had to perform a surgery operation under just thirty seconds, even less. Sure he knew how to patch things up from the days in Justice League, and done something like this before, but it was so mane years ago...no, he had to focus, he must put everything he had to save this girl.

And he will.

* * *

\- Today GCPD managed to bring down an illegal auction that was going on Gotham's turf. The estimated value of items goes up hundreds of millions of US dollars, and many arrested leaders of organized crimes were caught with hard evidence of their collaborations to similar auctions and other major crimes...

\- There are many videos being posted online, showing that not only Batman and his new allies fought in the port area, but also Flash appeared in Gotham. On those videos we could clearly see that he performed some sort of surgery operation on Silver Banshee, removing a remote explosive device from her back, which detonated safely...

\- Batman and his allies are fighting hard against many dangerous foes. But the return of Silver Banshee, even if it's a new one, raises too many questions about how many villains from old times are still out there. Justice League put many behind the bars or contained in some capacity, but most of them just disappeared...

\- Senator Jasper Cald expressed his concerns with Batman using former criminal elements, such as sabotage expert under codename Inque and a supposed former assassin Curare. He stated, that despite what Inque and Curare did to save Gotham's DA and their recent activities in protecting citizens, those two masked vigilantes are still criminals with a large crime list. Justice League and Interpol both refused to give any commentary on the matter. Now back to the commercial...

When she opened her eyes, she was seeing only darkness. But it wasn't her eyes failing - she was inside very dark place, and it took her time to adapt to the darkness. She couldn't move...or could she?...she could move her arms and legs a little, but it was way too hard...because she was inside some sort of liquid. There as breather mask on her with tubes up to her nose, which made her uncomfortable when she finally was able to sense things. There was also something on her ears...

\- You are alive and safe, - suddenly from the shadows appeared a figure that was wearing some old-fashioned coat with shades, hat and scarf. The voice was sounding right near her ears, probably from some sort of wireless microphone, - The explosive device was removed, but we had to perform a surgery on your spine. For your own safety, your movement is restrained to not damage the healing process until we can move you to one of my private clinic.

\- W-what..., - she closed her eyes and took her time to regain control over her voice, - ...w-what will happen to me?

\- ...you will be released. You are not a captive or a prisoner - you are a victim, and you will be treated to my best ability... Batman and his team are working on securing your band and making alibi with commissioner Gordon, - Wayne moved closer with his cane and Ace following him, who made some steps forward to sniff Aileen, - Thus everything should work...almost everything.

\- You did not caught those...those who took my powers? - she asked in weak voice, closing her eyes again and letting out a sigh, - They...somehow managed to separate me from my mother. She was able to protect me from harm on her side and sealed herself, but I do not know if she can hold out for too long...w-wait, - Banshee slowly raised her right hand and looked at her palm. From the inner side of it there was a small, barely visible sign of white skull, - ...t-this...I...she gave me this to...find her?...

\- You are still weak, and you have to gather your strength before we could move. I won't endanger your health, - Wayne sighed, looking at Banshee through his shades, - But if you will receive a message from your mother, we need to know this right away...Your tank is connected to Bat-computer, and I will be able to communicate with you.

\- ...how long was I...?

\- Three days, - Wayne walked back to Bat-computer, sitting in his chair and switching one of the monitors to watch over Banshee, - You are young, you will be fine.

\- ...I have to find her.

\- Aileen..., - Wayne tried to take a word, but she quickly interrupted him.

\- I won't have anyone have this power. My mother...there is nothing to be proud of, - she found a camera that was inside a tank, looking directly into it, - Murders, thievery, she even consumed souls of others, and when I got it...for the first time...it felt good, - she made a pause, since it was really hard for her to speak up, - ...good from all the power I had...but then I felt fear.

\- Fear from what? - Wayne briefly looked into a monitor, checking vital of Banshee.

\- From...everything, - she closed her eyes, taking her time to breath, - I never wanted this power, but my mother told me that no one should have it, and I am free to use it as I see fit...but I never wanted to use it in the first place.

\- Did not stopped you from using the powers for your musical career.

\- Before I was captured I never used that power, - she retorted back, glancing at Wayne, - Only after that to get attention to my problem...at least I got yours.

\- Not least...Batman, how's your progress?

\- In your time how long it took to trail someone until you got something? - he asked in quite tone. For the last days, while Banshee was healing, Batman and his new team focused on Gordon's task to find and eliminate at least some corrupted elements from GCPD. They even brought in Sidonia, since she was surprisingly good at stalking people and intimidate them. After dealing with the Banshee Gordon narrowed down some of the elements from her own list, making it a bit easier.

\- What, you are already bored? - grinned Wayne, looking from one camera to another, - Inque, your camera is upside down.

\- Oh. Sorry, boss.

\- ...wait, I got something, - Batman narrowed his eyes, looking at the apartment he was stalking. Gliding down and attaching himself to the wall, Terry pressed his fingers to the window, activating the sound-capture device, - ...well, apparently Gordon was right about this one.

\- She has a habit of being right.

\- Most of the times, - said Batman, remembering how Spellbinder tried to frame him to make GCPD hunt him down.

\- ...can agree with that.

\- It doesn't sound like a corruption incident by law terms, but someone just called one of our cops to abandoned industrial zone, - said Batman, carefully gliding down.

\- ...are you talking about the one in Lower Gotham in sector two? - suddenly asked Inque on radiolink.

\- ...that's the one, - answered Terry, starting to put pieces together already.

\- ...same, - Curare finally was able to remove her collar, able to talk by herself, but in quite tone, still recovering from the injury.

\- Looks like someone is pissed enough to gather all dirty cops in one room, - said Batman while gliding down from his spot.

\- ...no, someone wants them to be eliminated, quietly, - Wayne narrowed his eyes, already trying to piece everything, - Sidonia, you will be needed as a backup force - we don't want to fall into another trap like we did in the port, - as a part of new routine, the whole team was sharing some experience with each other, and Wayne was helping them to share and remember most important ones, - Batman and Curare, you are most closest to the location, get there before the officers, search for explosives or sign of ambush, but do not get let yourself be seen. Inque, you will be paired with Sidonia in case of force-majors, for now - track your target.

\- Gotcha, boss.

\- Yeah, I missed that, - suddenly Aileen noticed a figure near her. She widened her eyes because she knew, who it was in red costume with yellow lightning on the chest. Flash wasn't looking at Aileen directly, and he appeared very tired - the procedure he performed to save Aileen cost him some weeks, maybe months of his life. But he was always an optimist, so in the end it didn't bother him much, - Batman coordinating his team, hearing folks chit-chating...even if there is a new Batman, which is kinda weird and confusing sometimes, - he wearily grinned and nodded to Aileen, - I hope you are recovering well, young lady.

\- I don't know how to...

\- ...thank me? Well, do you have CD's of your albums? I am kinda old-fashioned pal, but I can appreciate modern music...if it's any good, of course. And your's is kinda good, - Flash winked to her.

\- ...all of my current albums and new ones, - Aileen managed to slightly smile and ease up her spirit a bit, - If I will make new songs anytime soon.

\- Make that your life-goal. It's much healthier than what we, - Flash nodded towards Batcomputer, - Usually do.

Meanwhile Batman and Curare were approaching the meeting point from different directions to cover more ground. The place was suspicious enough - a large abandoned factory that was left when city renovation started, located in lower parts of the mega-city and remote enough from the general patrol routes. Batman dropped on the nearby roof and started to carefully assess the area. He spotted a Curare from the other side of the factory, who waved at him and pointed towards the factory, carefully moving to the ground floor. Nodding to himself, Batman glided down to factory with the help of optical camo right into the broken window on the upper floors of the factory, quickly getting Curare's idea to cover more ground inside the building. The whole place was reeking of desolation and obsolete technology, with glass shards and roof parts everywhere. Holes were here and there on every floor of this large factory, and whole place was about to collapse any second now. While Curare was going around the ground floor, seeking any potential explosive devices or assassins, Terry was doing the same from his side, but there wasn't anything or anyone.

\- First batch of corrupted cops coming in, - Inque said over the radiolink, - How's on your side?

\- Nothing...which is weird.

\- Grey Ghost is right, - Curare said quietly, stepping into the shadows, - They are gathered here to die, nothing else. That's not how criminal world works.

\- Tell me about it, - Inque answered on radiolink with a sarcastic sniff, - But you have to find the method still. If they did not send assassins and did not placed any explosives, what they did?

\- Batman, run background radiation check, - suddenly said Wayne, crossing his palms together and staring at the monitor patiently.

\- Running right now, - Terry already saw the first car to approach the factory and he quickly hid himself behind a wall, - How is it?

\- Normal. I thought about radiation poisoning.

\- Isn't it overkill for a bunch of corrupted cops? - Batman asked quietly, watching men entering factory on ground floor.

\- Today's technology allows for creation portable devices with surprising simplicity, especially if we are talking about corporations or New League with their access to resources, - Wayne frowned, switching his gaze from one camera to another, - ...Curare, can you place microphones around the perimeter inside the factory?

\- On it.

\- They keep coming, - Inque was on the roof, using her periscope vision to keep tracking her surroundings, - But I can't spot anything unusual.

\- ...wait, something is happening, - Terry switched his vision to central part of the factory. The floor rose up, revealing a screen with large antennae pointed to the hole in the ceiling and pair of small dynamics. The cops who gathered around jumped from the sudden appearance of the screen, already pointing their guns on it. The screen rose up about two meters above the floor and it turned on, revealing a darkened room with a figure in shadows. The light sources were pointed to the camera in such fashion that no one could see the face or even clear shape of the figure, which crossed his palms together, revealing only black leathered gloves, - ...boss, can you track the signal?

\- Trying, but the encryption is strong, - Wayne frowned again, working on Batcomputer stressfully, because whoever he tried to find, he tried to track Wayne too, - I have to be careful, and this will take...some time. Listen carefully.

\- There is no need to point your useless weapons, - figure spoke in distorted voice suddenly to the cops, - Because you are surrounded by Batman and his team, - when figure spoke that, cops quickly turned around, searching for vigilantes, - Inque, Curare, Sidonia...and Batman himself, all here.

\- What the hell is this?! - one of the cops pointed his pistol to the screen nervously.

\- Judgment. You were all summoned to, actually, another location in the opposite part of the city, where you would be all dead upon arrival. Right now you have three choice, - figure took his palms back in the shadows, - You can die from the hands of League...you can try to fight Batman and his employees, while failing miserably...or you can drop your weapons and save yourself trouble of broken bones. And to Batman, who is nearby, - figure raised his voice a little without moving on the screen, - You will receive my invitation soon. Consider this as an offering of friendship. Oh, and check the inner compartment, you will need it.

\- He is right, - Batman suddenly said, moving to another cover on upper floor, startling the cops even more, - We are all here. Unless you want to do it hard way, drop your weapons and put your hands behind your head.

\- Yeah, you are kinda screwed anyway, - Inque appeared suddenly from the entrance, menacingly narrowing her eyes.

\- You would be dead the moment you stepped in here, - Curare threw several batarangs, hitting most nervous cops in their hands to force them to drop their weapons, - Consider yourself lucky to still breathe.

\- Just cease, - Sidonia came from the opposite entrance, coordinated previously by Inque, - You know, how this will go the second someone pulls the trigger.

* * *

\- Thanks for clearing the trash, - Gordon sighed with relief when she received a delivery of dirty cops from Batman and his team. Her trusted officers were escorting the cops while Gordon talked with vigilantes, - But there's not much I can do to legally press them, at least for now.

\- ...actually, you can, - Batman put out a small disc, giving it to Gordon, - Grey Ghost ran diagnostics in case it would be with a surprise, but it has tons of information - audio, video, intercepted messages and emails..., - Batman crossed his hands together after he gave disc to Gordon, - Someone from the side also wants to clear GCPD.

\- ...and we don't know who, - Gordon frowned, but suddenly she pulled a pistol, aiming behind Batman's back. Batman reacted on instincts, quickly getting down on his knee and turning around with batarang ready to see a remote-controlled drone approaching GCPD. Inque already took cover inside Batmobile, turning it's nose towards the drone, while Curare and Sidonia took cover behind their vehicles. The whole panic was caused by one realization - someone hacked into GCPD's defense systems that were designed to took out unregistered drones with electronic countermeasures systems. In such modern world there were some attempts to use remote-controlled drones for assassination attempts and espionage, but they were rare now because how far technology went in terms of countering such drones. Meanwhile, drones slowly approached GCPD and landed on roof, right on the corner, and slowly opened his hatch on the portside. A small manipulator extended from the hatch with a datapad, slowly extending it far away from the drone and putting it on the ground. When drone put datapad on the ground, it suddenly started to throw sparks and smoke around, - Demolition team to the roof, - finally said Gordon, still pointing her pistol at the drone.

It took time, but demolition team confirmed that drone was fried clean from the inside, and fried good - nothing was salvageable, except for the datapad. When Batman connected datapad to Batcomputer for analysis, it showed two kinds of storage devices inside it - one was marked "BAT", another was marked "GOR". The information on the "GOR" storage device was about GCPD's security issues, with detailed analysis and advices about improvements. The "BAT" storage device contained...

\- ...appointment? - Batman rose his eyebrows up, looking bewildered at the content of the storage device.

\- Nothing is there, except for instructions and additional note that you have to come alone. But the meeting will be here, in Gotham.

\- "Crux Entertainment"...that's a company that produces video- and online-games, - remembered Batman, still looking puzzled.

\- ...and educational materials, - suddenly said Inque, joining the conversation, - I, uh...got some of those for myself. But when that meeting is supposed to happen?

\- In half an hour.

\- You are not considering going here all alone? - asked Gordon from Batman with a slight hint of concern in her voice.

\- Of course not, - he shook his head in response, - But probably our mysterious helper know that too...Boss, what do you think?

\- The building is legit one - it's the main office of the company in Gotham, - Wayne already was working, giving out all he could dig, - But it's hard to approach unnoticed...Sidonia, you can leave and rest, Inque, you too. Curare will provide cover for Batman.

\- Well, gotta hurry, I have a feeling that I can't miss this appointment, - Batman quickly turned around and nodded to Curare - she was ready to follow him.

\- Be careful, kid. That still...

\- ...could be a trap, - Batman finished the sentence for Gordon, nodding to her before going into Batmobile and dusting off from the roof.

The main building of the company, as Wayne said, was hard one to approach - while it was located on the upper level of Gotham, it was standing almost alone, only surrounded by much smaller buildings that were also bought by "Crux" for their employees. Basically, the company outright bought a whole portion of Gotham to make a city inside the city - a practice that was slowly adopted by other major companies. Looking at the giant tower, shaped like a perfect circle, Batman slowly approached it from the air while Curare was quick to infiltrate from the ground without being noticed. As instructions from datapad said, Batman proceeded to central tower and landed on the landing pad number two, which was the only one to be active. Before landing, of course, Batman ran several scanners, but there was nothing unusual or something to tell about an ambush - no weird electromagnetic interference or multiple heat signatures. When he left Batmobile the doors in front of him opened, revealing a large lift that waited him patiently. Narrowing his eyes and preparing for anything, he walked inside the lift, which...did nothing but took him several floors down. The floor lift took him was a large one - there were nothing except for high-end server racks and one lone desk with a woman behind it, working on the computer. The floor allowed Batman to see whole Gotham panorama from high above, but there wasn't a sight-seeing tour - he slowly approached desk with a woman, slightly tapping on it with his closed fist:

\- I have an appointment.

\- We have small technical issues, but they will be resolved shortly to not waste your time. Of course, it would be compensated, - the woman looked at Batman closely for a second before turning to her monitor again, - ...three minutes. Please accept the apology for the delay, - the woman rose up in her chair and turned computer off, slowly walking away from Batman towards the lift, calling it to just disappear.

\- ...this is weird, - sighed Batman, closing his arms and looking at the clock on his display. Minutes were passing painfully slow, and when it hit four minutes, it came apparent that something wasn't right, - ...guess I can expect a party coming in.

\- Not quite, - suddenly a voice spoke from the shadows. Quickly turning around, Batman confront an old thin bald man, who was wearing white business-style suit, - It was just a minor technical issue.

\- Holographic projectors, - suddenly said Batman, - You are not even here...and you are projecting me too to...wherever you are.

\- How do you know that? - old man softly smiled, with a spark of curiosity in his eyes.

\- Thermal scanners were hitting hard on that...along with the servers and this, - Batman pointed to the floor and ceiling, which were covered in plates that were aligned perfectly to each other, - Also, your secretary is a synth.

\- What gave her?

\- She wasn't breathing and blinking right. Granted she was looking close to be a normal person, she also had a speech pattern that gave her, - Batman crossed his arms together, - And you also blocking my signals. You really want this to be private.

\- I want, - old man nodded, and then he suddenly said something that made Batman shiver, - Riddle me this, Batman...why the sphinx riddles person in the first place? To be fair, - he softly smiled again, - There is no right answer to this question.

\- ...to test a person's wits, but it's too easy and too obvious, - old man silently nodded, patiently waiting for the answer, while Batman was rubbing his chin, - ...he also riddles to test how person views the world around him, because some of the riddles - like this one - do not have definitive answers, - Batman nodded to himself, looking straight at the projection of the old man again, - Only interpretations.

\- Or how you try to adapt answer to the question, if you know who the person is, playing on his psychological profile...now introductions are necessary, - old man smiled again and slowly bowed his head, - Edward Nigma, at your service.

\- So this is what you have been doing after you...disappeared, - Batman tapped the floor with his foot, - Creating a company from behind the curtains.

\- Yes...it was much healthier rather than playing antics with Wayne...oh yes, I know who he is, - he smiled and walked towards the windows to take a look at Gotham's panorama, - When Batman disappeared, he did one mistake that was a gift for me - he also disappeared as Bruce Wayne. Clearly, everything was lying on the surface, and while his intelligence rivals my own, he was always better at hiding and concealing, - Nigma sighed, taking a short glance at Batman, - You have many questions, but do you have time for all of them? Ask most important once - while we have some time, we better not waste it for trivial things.

\- Why you didn't sell him out? He was your enemy for years.

\- Why Joker didn't when he returned?...you see, when Batman was done with his crusade, many of us were done too - Joker was presumably dead, Pamela retired into the forests of Amazon, Oswald decided to leave his own business when he started to lose power due to his age...and I retired too, - he shook his head, slightly sighing, - Of course, there were some that were still...delusional, in denial, that were rampaging here and there, but without major player like us Gotham knew some peace, at least for a while...and this time gave me a lot to think about.

\- Rethink your life choices?

\- A bit of sarcasm? - Nigma smiled again, but with a much more sad tone in it, turning to Gotham's panorama again, - Yes, you can put it that way. I discovered who Batman was, but it wasn't victorious - I realized that I want my former enemy to rest...that we all have to. Our time passed...but when you appeared, I started to think that those times are coming back, in a way, - Nigma took a pause and suddenly he turned to Batman, with a very concerned look on his face, - You were there when Fries died...what was his last word?

\- ...that I am the only one who cares, - Terry answered after a small pause with a lowered tone.

\- After his death I started to work on keeping track of everyone who were still alive, but when Joker appeared again...it surprised and terrified me, - Nigma narrowed his eyes, turning away from Batman, - You did a good job at protecting Gotham and ending him, but tell me...how you?...

\- He installed a chip into a...Robin, that was able to overwrite his DNA. I destroyed the chip, - came a short answer from Batman. He wasn't over this story yet, but he made sure that Riddler knows only main things, - And Robin is fine.

\- ...despite how insane he was, his both main and backup plans were something to behold, - Nigma closed his eyes and sighed, - So, after you dealt with the Joker - let's hope you dealt with him permanently - I started to work harder, because Joker and Fries were not the only thing to return, - Nigma glanced at Terry again, - League of Shadows.

\- The Head of the Demon died in the explosion, - retorted Terry back.

\- But the League remains still. When Curare killed the headmasters of the League of Assassins, they were replaced with the League of Shadows, which was brewing unnoticed for decades. I do not have much information, despite having my infiltrators inside their ranks, but their activities all over the world were not passed unnoticed by me, - Nigma took a short pause, glancing back at Terry, - Train wreck, "New Dawn", "Unity", Jasper Cald, new League operations on global scale...that indicates only to one outcome, unless we can ally with each other and change it.

\- Why you want my help?

\- League of Shadows wants total control over the world...a tyranny in the name of greater good for humankind, a hypocrisy of criminals killing criminals without subjugating themselves into prison afterwards, - Riddler narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists, - And whatever their plans are, they will brought only ruin to us all.

\- Makes sense...but how we are going to...

\- You need to talk with Wayne, because I will arrive at his manor tomorrow. We do not have much time to waste...and I always wanted to see the famous Batcave for myself, - Nigma smiled again, turning back to Terry, - I hope you recorded our conversation?

\- ...I did.

\- Good. It will save even more time. See you tomorrow, - Edward raised his hand, and his holoprojection slowly disappeared.

* * *

 **First things first - I actually decided to make a PAGE ON THE INTERNET WHERE PEOPLE CAN DONATE YOU MONEY FOR YOUR WORK, STARTS WITH PAT, ENDS WITH REON (Jesus Christ, really? I have to save multiple times to find out that I can't post this word for...no apparent reason. The page ends with _/solidkeeper_ ) ****to see how it will actually go** **. That thing already is pushing my to continue, and with more constant viewers and patrons I actually want to work further on making a fan- and original fiction.**

 **Now, no fanfiction content will be paywalled, I won't do this. About my possible originals...I don't wanna do this either, but we will see about that and how this whole thing will go.**

 **Even if you can't support me directly, you can help me to get more viewers. Also I am seeking other platforms to publish myself, but there's not so many out there that have same functionality as this one. And, of course, in time I will do some other fanfiction.**

 **And probably finish "Ascension" series.**

 **As usual, see you in the next chapter, which will come out...when it's done.**


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